The taxi drivers in Italy are mad! The government has decided to deregulate the taxi drivers as evidently Italy has less taxi's per 1,000 population than any other country in Italy.

The new PM Prodi said allowing more taxis will bring down the cost of fares and improve taxi service for residents and visitors. During very busy periods even more taxis will be allowed.

So the current taxi drivers are up in arms as they say it will hurt their income and business.

A taxi strike has been planned for July 11th but already this morning throughout the major cities and at the airports there are wildcat strikes. Taxi drivers are also driving very slow on the major roadways to slow up traffic.

The taxi drivers have been quoted as saying this strike will continue indefinetly. Prodi's government insist the taxi business will be degregulated as in "no if, and or buts" so to speak.

So all of you that are leaving for Italy should take this into consideration when making your transportation plans.

I feel sorry for the passenger if they keep the meter running while driving slowly.

Unfortunately this doesn't affect me as I have no immediate plans for Italy, but I'm sure others will appreciate the heads up.

<i>Taxi drivers are also driving very slow on the major roadways to slow up traffic.</i>

For those who are now blissfully snoring on a plane on their way to Italy...ouch! #-o

Hi JAGIRL, I had the same thought. Normally strikes in Italy, under Italian law, have to annouce the strike a few weeks ahead of time. And normally the strikes only last so many hours.

But this is a wildcat strike so there was not any previous announcement and it sounds like the taxi drivers will be striking for some time, or maybe not, who knows?

P_M, there are no passengers in the taxi's. The taxidrivers are refusing to take any fares. People will have to use trains, busses or..hitchhike?

What a mess and right during the heavy travel season.

OK, that would make sense if they are on strike. Somehow I missed that part.

I never thought I would say this, but I'm glad I'm not going to Italy in the near future.

Hi P_M, to tell you the truth I am feeling the same way right now for various reasons. A strange feeling for me.

I have family in Italy for three weeks right now. They were not going to rent a car. I wonder how they are doing. Fortunatly there is a train station ten minutes from where they are staying. But the house they rented does not have a/c, sigh. Six people and just one bathroom. I am truly glad I am not there!

&quot;I never thought I would say this, but I'm glad I'm not going to Italy in the near future&quot;

&quot;But the house they rented does not have a/c, sigh. Six people and just one bathroom. I am truly glad I am not there!&quot;

If I could I still would hop on the first plane there!

Hi worldinabag, trust me, this particular trip you would not want to be part of. Not going into anymore details as this is a public forum but you couldn't have paid me to go.

I had planned on going to Italy either in May or September but do to life getting in the way and all kinds of reasons I will not go until next year and for once that it truly fine with me.

BTW, for anyone that is interested, due to an upcoming trip to Italy the website http://ansa.it is a good website to keep current on the taxi situation. There is no &quot;www&quot; in the address. On the left side of the screen you can click on News in English.

I'd like to be there just to witness the taxi drivers trying to drive slowly!

Wow! . . who would have ever thought we would see the phrase &quot;Italian Taxi Drivers&quot; in the same sentence as &quot;driving slowly&quot;. . never happen!

OK you two, you are way ahead of me, I never thought about that, lol. It must be a real mental stress for those taxidrivers, you think?

Yes,I'm sure they won't be able to hold out for long!

massagediva, the more I think about this the more it makes me laugh!! I don't know why it didn't &quot;click&quot; with me when I read the article this morning. It will be interesting! Take care.

C'mon folks...chaos is part of the charm of Italy, and this is just a little different kind of chaos then the usual kinds.

I have had many fine taxi drivers in Italy, but if those guys in Rome are &quot;regulated&quot; then I say hooray for deregulation.

Next you will be telling me that they are stopping for red lights.

I am having a lot of difficulty having sympathy for the Rome taxi drivers. I have never had a bad experience with taxi drivers in any city in UK, France and Spain and most other cities in Italy, but have been taken a few times in Rome and know I am not alone.

There was a particular stunt they were pulling; if you gave them a 20 for the fare, they switched the bill and pretended you gave them a five. My husband was caught on it once, on a trip with his elderly mother, but not the second time or the third time they tried it. He insisted the taxi driver pull up beside a policeman and when they pulled the stunt, threatened to call the cop.

I don’t mind paying a fair fare, but I resent being taken for an idiot and if the industry can’t regulate themselves, then it needs to be shaken up!

Sounds like the taxi drivers switching bills are no better than the pickpockets ! Trying and getting your money from your pocket anyway they can !!

&quot;Next you will be telling me that they are stopping for red lights.&quot;

I always got a kick out of their total disregard for lines on the road. It sounds like they are protesting by improving thier driving skills. I'm not sure this will help thier case.

We just got an email from Hotel della Torre Argentina informing us that our driver may not even be able to get into the airport to pick us up tomorrow morning! That was very nice of them to alert us to the problem, but now we have to figure out how we get from the airport to the hotel They suggested taking the train(30 minutes) and then take the bus (15 minutes). Not what we expected to be doing after a long flight!

Has anyone taken the train and then bus to their hotel? How bad is it?