esther

i will be leaving for italy within the<BR>week and have made arrangements for a driver<BR>to transport us from the rome airport to<BR>the adriatic coast and also back to rome in one week. the quoted amount<BR>for service states all inclusive which i<BR>interpret as no tip although i feel as<BR>though i should tip him (as long as he<BR>is punctual, corteous, etc.). does anyone<BR>have any recommendations? this is a<BR>2 1/2 hour trip not a short ride in a taxi/<BR>cost is euro 250. <BR>

Alice Twain

250 euro? You shouldn't tip him you should call the police!<BR>The price for a first class seat on a Eurostar train from Rome to Ancona, round trip, is 60 euros per person, minus 30% discount if there are at least 3 of you, and there is one train every 2 hours departing from Termini station, where you could arrive with a very comfortable train that departs from the airport!!!

esther

where we are going in italy is quite <BR>difficult to get to by a direct route.<BR>we will be traveling all night, arrive<BR>at 8 a.m. get to train station, wait<BR>for a 10 a.m. train and go approx.<BR>1 1/2 hours (driving time) out of the<BR>way before we have to transfer to another train, etc. we would not get to our town until late afternoon or early evening by the time we transferred 2 times. the cost was $70 each for the train and the loss of 1 day. we are only staying for 8 days and there is something nice about being picked up and transported directly to the hotel. we will arrive at destination approx. 11:30 a.m. and save a day. plus this will be split 2 ways<BR>so it is not so bad.

Alice Twain

I can understand that you have chosen the car for a valid reason like this, but in any case, the price the guy is charging you doesn't leave ANY reason to tip him, unless he will save you from a very painful death at the risk of his own life during both trips to and from or something like that!

ro

Do I understand your situation right, that you are being charged 250 euro for 10 hours of driving - 2.5 hours Rome to whereever then 2.5 hours deadheading back to Rome, followed a week later by 2.5 hours deadheading back to whereever and 2.5 hours driving you back to Rome? If that's so, 25 euro an hour doesn't seem unreasonable.<BR><BR>My understanding of all-inclusive is that there will be no extra charges for excess luggage, fuel surcharges, tolls, etc. I think you would tip as you would normally for a taxi or car service.

Alice Twain

25 euros pe hour IS unreasonable. This is probably more than Esther would have to pay if using a taxi with a meter and all. Even here in italy, where taxis have very high fees!

Lindsay

I feel like you're not getting much of an answer to a very legitimate question (other than from Ro...). 25 euros an hour is extremely reasonable..If I could get a driver for 25 euros an hour I would never consider renting a car in Italy! In any case it sounds like you've thought about it very carefully. <BR><BR>I'm not sure where Alice is coming from (not sure what the "invalid" part of the address means....doesn't get out much?) Anyway, I think you've made a great plan and I heartily agree with Ro that for excellent service normal tipping (15%)makes sense. Chances are you'll get to know this driver person in your hours on the road, and you can decide how generous you want to be. Good luck!

Red

I'd go with 10% and give the driver an extra 25 Euro. I'm sure there is a tip built into the price too.

Joan

Actually, Alice, 25 euro per hour is quite reasonable. I just checked the limo service I use in Italy and their rate is 31 E per hour and they are a very competitive company.<BR><BR>I'd give the driver a small tip , maybe 20 E

Alice Twain

The Invalid in ,my address is to keep spam off my inbox. In any case I am Italian, therefore I have a quite clear idea of prices in this country. This is why I say that 25 Euros for a driver and a car is A WHOLE LOT! I mus repeat myself: you would spent the same amount of money or maybe less by taxi.

xxx

So Alice, why don't you help her find a cheaper service? Just saying that's too expensive isn't very helpful especially since she didn't ask your opinion on that.

www

Hire a car for the week - it would be cheaper.

Alice Twain

The question was about tipping. As an italiaj I wouldnt' give the driver a tip but a call to the Guardia di Finanza police (the same as american IRS). In any cas,me there are several solutions available, but in order to sugest one I would at least ned to know WHERE Esther is headed to. I can't devine in a glass ball her destination!

xxx

The costs (insurances etc) for the car, gasoline, driver´s wages of ten hours, taxes and social security payments – a fair price. I would leave the driver a 15 euro tip. Max 20.