Rome meter taxi rip-off

[DougYWG]

We arrived at the Termini train station in Rome, followed the signs for taxis and took the first one at the rank after checking that he had a meter. Our hotel was not too far, possibly 15 minutes or less. I wasn't paying much attention but my wife says that just before we turned into our street, the meter was showing 5.80 euros. We stopped at the hotel which was 100 yards down the street, unloaded the baggage and the meter was showing 24 euros. So, how did he do that?

 

We subsequently asked around and found that the ride should have been around 7 or 8 euros at most.

[twoatsea]

That's so rotten. I hate to be ripped off! Obviously he has figured some way to manipulate the meter!

 

Obviously, can happen anywhere. A cab driver big time cheated me once in Houston. I paid him but only after protesting, writing down his name & # from the back of the seat, & telling him I had to have a receipt for my 'company'! The stupid criminal actually hand wrote & signed a receipt for me! Duh!:rolleyes: Then when I got out of the cab, I wrote down the company phone # & the cab #. I called the cab company. The company's manager of the taxi drivers & a bigwig above him came to the hotel, gave me my money back, showed me pictures & ask me to point out the cabbie (line-up!), & apologized & said the driver would be fired! :cool:

 

One time we got ripped off in New Orleans by a taxi driver too - many years ago.

 

What happened to you is why my husband hates to take taxis. Whenever I do our trip planning, he always wants me to get private cars/drivers, even at a higher cost. He says he'd rather pay more than to have a negative experience.

 

Wonder what would happen in these instances, if we insisted on calling the cab company & advising them of the situation before paying. Wonder if the cabbie would back up the price? Don't know how well Rome cabs are regulated & if the cabbie would even care.

 

Sorry this happened to you. Glad you posted so others will be aware.

[cruisemom42]

It's sad that there are apparently more and more cabs that will try this in Rome. Termini seems to be one of the worst places, unfortunately, along with the airports.

 

Here is a great article on how to avoid being ripped off by a taxi in Rome. I ran across it a few weeks ago -- gives you some solid tips and also things to watch out for:

 

http://reallyrome.com/blog/2007/11/15/how-to-take-a-taxi-in-rome-and-not-get-ripped-off/

[Curler61]

We took the train from Civitavecchia to Rome after our cruise and apparently the exit we took from the station was not a main exit. When we exited there were a few "taxis" parked in front of the door and several men standing together. When my husband asked what the rate would be to travel to our hotel near the Spanish Steps, we were told 45 Euros. I knew this was too much and realized that we were not at an official taxi stand. We walked about 2 blocks up the street to the main station area and found the official taxi stand. We made sure to check that it was an authorized taxi. As we started driving, I noticed that the meter was not running. I asked the driver about the meter and he said that there was a flat rate for pick-ups at Termini depending on what zone of the city we were going to. He said the charge for our zone was 25 Euros and showed us an official looking list of prices. I thought this might be a ripoff, but not knowing for sure what the rules were regarding Termini and looking at the price list, we felt we didn't have much choice about paying. When we told him about the other driver asking for 45 Euros, he said they were gypsy drivers & to always make sure we got an authorized taxi like his was.

[Susan-M]

When we told him about the other driver asking for 45 Euros, he said they were gypsy drivers & to always make sure we got an authorized taxi like his was.

 

Are there any taxi drivers that you can trust?:( 25 euros sounds like 3x as much as it should have been from the Termini to Spanish Steps.

[cberge]

Are there any taxi drivers that you can trust?:( 25 euros sounds like 3x as much as it should have been from the Termini to Spanish Steps.

I think not.Prices may have gone up,but not this much indeed.:eek:

Let's face a fact...since so many Americans are going to Rome especially this year re increase in cruisng and "they" know that most will not speak a word of Italian there is bound to be a lot of rip-offs...more so than usual.I think learning a few words of cab lingo as well as the usual suspects of hello,good morning etc. would be in order.Learing to say polizia momento would be another:D

[twoatsea]

We've beat the system. Now we always use a hired car/driver company. No more worries. Most we've ever paid is 35 euros. Highly recommend it.

[corkpopr]

one other good way to know the prices. if you booked your hotel online you should call them 3 days before you arrive just to make sure the res. shows and they are expecting you. phone call from the states a couple of dollars. ask the desk clerk how much a cab from the hotel to termini is and you will be quoted the actual rate. then you tell the driver at termini how much it is. we had a 24 euro ride once and 8-10 every time since.

[DougYWG]

Thanks for the link, cruisemom42. Obviously this stuff is rampant. We are not naive travellers. In a foreign country, we get out of the cab, get our baggage out of the trunk, then we argue and pay. In Beijing, we got some kind of cowboy with a meter that must have been doctored. The trip back to our hotel from the Summer Palace was twice what it had been for the outbound. I paid the driver the same as I had paid earlier and left him spluttering in Chinese. The other clue was that he refused to drop us at the hotel door and stopped on the other side of the street. When you arrive at a Beijing hotel, the doorman writes the taxi number on a card and gives it to you. The other side of the card has the phone number for the taxicab complaints board. Hence the cowboys avoid doormen.

[Leejnd4]

It's sad that there are apparently more and more cabs that will try this in Rome. Termini seems to be one of the worst places, unfortunately, along with the airports.

 

Here is a great article on how to avoid being ripped off by a taxi in Rome. I ran across it a few weeks ago -- gives you some solid tips and also things to watch out for:

 

http://reallyrome.com/blog/2007/11/15/how-to-take-a-taxi-in-rome-and-not-get-ripped-off/

 

Cruisemom, that is a fantastic article! It's gives some very useful advice, and I plan on printing it out and taking it with me when I head to Rome next year. (We'll be spending some time there both before and after our cruise, and I expect we'll be using cabs at least a few times.)

 

I've been to Rome six or seven times and, so far, have not gotten ripped off. Part of that may be that I always ask for an estimate, so I know about how much it'll be before I even get in the cab. (Plus I speak some Italian, and I always try to converse with cabbies in Italian, so they know that I know at least a little about their country.) But it's been a couple of years since I was there, and I've read several reports that the taxi rip-off situation has gotten much worse.

 

One of the most important bits of advice given in this thread and that article is to ensure that you are using an authorized Rome city taxi (the article explains how to tell).

 

Here's a couple of other suggestions I'd add:

 

1) Ask the cabbie to give you an estimate before you get in. (Any cabbie worth his salts will know about what it costs to go pretty much anywhere.) If you don't like the estimate he gives you, go ask the next one. If he won't give you an estimate, don't use him. Of course, it helps to have done a little studying of the language first - especially numbers, so if he doesn't speak English, you can ask him in Italian, and understand his response.

 

2) If, once you get to your destination, you feel he's trying to rip you off - if he's demanding way more than his estimate - be sure to remove all of your luggage before you go to pay him. Then just give him what you think it should be (and if you asked for an estimate earlier, there's your amount!) and walk away. If he protests, tell him he's free to call the carabinieri. If he's ripping you off, he won't. If he DOES actually call the carabinieri, then he is probably charging you the fair amount, so that might be your clue to give him the rest and be on your way.

[cjcruiser27]

Also helps if the hotel has a free shuttle system to and from the airport..no hassles there..right?

We've beat the system. Now we always use a hired car/driver company. No more worries. Most we've ever paid is 35 euros. Highly recommend it.

[Aquahound]

Being the type of person I am, I was very watchful for just this sort of thing. Twice, I saw a cab driver do this. On one occasion, the fare was 8 Euros. Just as we pulled in to the hotel, he reached up, hit a button, and the fare jumped to 20 Euros. When I paid him 8, he started to argue in Italian. I called out the hotel concierge, told him what happened, and he told the cabby to get lost. The concierge told me this happens very frequently.

[micruiser2002]

I was in Rome in 2005 for business many times. The one trick I found the taxi drivers always tried was to change the tariff. It is 1 for normal day fares within and around the city of Rome. It is 2 for night and outside of Rome. The tariff 2 was around 35% higher than 1. They got me a couple of times at first but I caught on real quick and that was the first thing I looked for, either a 1 or 2 on the meter. If it says 2 and is during the day you need to make a comment about the tariff.

[Terpnut]

In addition to the other suggestions in this thread, I have another that works well no matter where on the planet you hire a taxi: Speak the local language. From my experience, if you speak to a taxi driver in the local tongue, including the address and some general directions, they definitely think twice before they will attempt to rip you off. The key is to do everything possible to not immediately come across as a dumb tourist. This strategy has worked well for us no matter where we travel, including in Rome. And besides, you need to know some of the local language to have a great overall travel experience anyhow!

[markgan]

I had the same experience recently when I took a taxi from Fiumicino Airport to my hotel in Rome.

I have since found out, the taxi drivers have 2 rates on the display of their meter:

 

rate 1: its the rate inside the belt road or in italy called GRA

rate 2: when the taxi goes over the GRA they have to change into rate 2

 

Obviously I didn't know this when I arrived and I was charged 20 Euros more than normal due to the fact that the taxi driver didn't change the meter into rate 1 when on arriving in the city, he left the 2 so the meter was running faster.

We also have to consider that there is a fixed rate from the airport now that is 40,00 Euros from Fiumicino and viceversa and the luggage is free.

[BusBoy]

I had the same experience recently when I took a taxi from Fiumicino Airport to my hotel in Rome.

I have since found out, the taxi drivers have 2 rates on the display of their meter:

 

rate 1: its the rate inside the belt road or in italy called GRA

rate 2: when the taxi goes over the GRA they have to change into rate 2

 

Obviously I didn't know this when I arrived and I was charged 20 Euros more than normal due to the fact that the taxi driver didn't change the meter into rate 1 when on arriving in the city, he left the 2 so the meter was running faster.

We also have to consider that there is a fixed rate from the airport now that is 40,00 Euros from Fiumicino and viceversa and the luggage is free.

 

Hi Markgan, Ive heard of the 2 different rates and had already commited myself to remembering to make sure the cabbie hits that rate button at least once BUT I have never heard of the flat rate from the airport. Can you expand on that further for me... or anyone for that matter??

 

-Chris

[BusBoy]

Never mind I found the info which Ive posted below. Here the link also. http://www.comune.roma.it/was/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_21L?menuPage=/Area_di_navigazione/Sezioni_del_portale/Dipartimenti_e_altri_uffici/Dipartimento_VII/Trasporto_pubb-9-_non_di_linea/TAXI/Tariffa_fissa_da_e_per_aeroporti/Fixed_rates_from_and_to_the_airports/

 

FIXED RATES FROM AND TO THE AIRPORTS starting October 1st

40 euro from Fiumicino to within the Aurelian Walls and vice versa

30 euro from Ciampino to within the Aurelian Walls and vice versa

 

CITY OF ROME – TAXI SERVICE FROM FIUMICINO AIRPORT TO ROME AND VICE VERSA.

(see map).

At the Fiumicino Airport, near exits A, B and C, there is a taxi service for Rome. The cost of the taxi service

is 40 euro, inclusive of luggage, for a maximum of four passengers, for all destinations within the Aurelian Walls delimiting the central area of the city. For further information check with the P.I.T. – Tourist Information Point of the City of Rome inside the airport, which will explain the service and let you know whether your particular destination is subject to the fixed rate. The cost of the service is the same for the opposite direction also, going from Rome to Fiumicino. For destinations outside of the central area of the city, the cost will be indicated by the taximeter, to which the luggage fee must be added.

Vehicles providing the City of Rome taxi service are white and have a "TAXI" sign on their roof, as well as an identifying number on their doors, on the rear, and inside the vehicle. In the area around the exit it is also possible to find a rental service, indicated with the initials NCC ("noleggio con conducente" – rental with driver), which is generally provided with blue or grey cars that apply different rates depending on the destination. This service may be requested, at the time of departure or arrival, at the authorized structures inside the airport. The NCC is therefore not an alternative taxi service, which is the only service accessible directly at the parking area.

Warning: Any other vehicles present near exits A, B and C could be driven by persons who do not possess the official Taxi or Rental authorization, and the fare demanded could be higher; in any case these rates are beyond the City of Rome's control.

Beware of any individuals who, inside the airport, offer transportation services into the city.