“We have to sit down and do some serious regulation that, finally, remove the provisional nature of the current situation”. With these words, the Minister of Transport, Graziano Delrio is preparing to face today's meeting with the trade unions, 21 February, while throughout Italy, from Rome to Milan, via Turin, Genoa and Naples, the wild protest of taxi drivers (now in its sixth consecutive day) is bringing cities to their knees, also causing the revolt of numerous consumer associations who denounce the interruption of public service, perpetrated without any warning.
Delrio did not hide, speaking of "a situation that has not been regulated for a long time". But finding a solution will not be easy. "There is a need to guarantee citizens' rights on the one hand – added the minister, careful to weigh his words – and on the other also the rights of those who have invested in their company, which are taxi drivers".
At the same juncture, the now famous Milleproroghe arrives in the Chamber today containing precisely the amendment first signed by Senator Linda Lanzillotta (Pd) which has unleashed the wrath of taxi drivers throughout Italy, because according to them at least, it would help deregulate the sector. For the occasion, hundreds of professionals will arrive in the capital in order to make their voices heard. In reality, this is not the case and the amendment does not change the existing situation at all.
The meeting with the taxi driver representatives comes after days of fire. They have now risen to six days of protest which have literally paralyzed mobility in the main cities of the beautiful country. It is not the first time, on the other hand, that insiders use the blockade of traffic and wild traffic to assert their reasons. It had already happened on numerous other occasions, such as when it was desired (and succeeded) to prevent the issue of new licenses.
Taxi: what the offending amendment provides
Many will think that such strong protests were caused by the entry into force of new laws and new rules that penalize the 40 taxi drivers located throughout Italy. But no, reality tells the exact opposite.
The amendment included in the Milleproroghe decree establishes an extension, until 31 December 2017, for the entry into force of the measures that limit the rental services with driver (NCC). Nothing new under the sun, given that the text merely specifies what is already provided for in the text approved by the Government which introduces an extension to 31 December 2017 of the deadline for issuing the ministerial decree against the abusive exercise of the taxi service and rental service with driver.
Speaking in simple terms, thanks to the extension, NCCs will be able to park in public parking spaces until the ministerial decree is issued instead of necessarily stopping in remittances, in the Municipalities where the taxi service is provided. A rule that is already in effect today.
The government-union meeting
During today's meeting, Minister Delrio will therefore try to untangle the many knots to untie, trying not to exacerbate the wrath of taxi drivers who, with their protests, seem to have the upper hand.
But it is impossible to ignore that, given the context in which one is operating, it is necessary to proceed with lead feet. It is a market that is worth (at least) 2 billion euros a year in which taxi drivers have dominated up to now. But looking at the numbers, it is clear how much action is necessary: if on the one hand there are 40 taxi drivers, led by a very aggressive lobby, capable of tangibly influencing the work of politics, on the other, there are 80 NCC license holders whose requests can no longer go unheard. The basic law dates back to 1992, when the Internet did not yet exist, while the changes were implemented in 2008, when instead the various smartphone apps that allow passengers to contact the drivers directly had not yet spread.
The clash has therefore been going on for years, involving not only the ministry, Parliament and insiders, but also the courts. The most famous is the sentence with which in 2015, the Court of Milan blocked UberPop, the app that allows anyone to offer a paid ride.
In this context, citizens are paying the price for what is happening, deprived of a public service and forced to deal with enormous inconvenience without the law intervening either to regulate the sector, or to prevent with ad hoc rules , expected for years, that wildcat strikes such as those implemented in recent days continue to occur.
