Forgive my ignorance, but I live in an area of the US with a poor public transit. We will have 5 traveling to Italy. Are there cabs that fit 5 people (relatively adult-sized....it will be two adults and 3 teen-ish)? Is there a particular service we should be aware of when in Rome? I did find this link, but it did not address size of cabs.
These are the questions you ask when you grow up in the Appalachian mountains ;-)
Are you asking for a specific circumstance in Rome or just in general?
A few years ago on my first trip to Italy I booked a pick up from the airport with RomeCabs for 5 of us and it worked well. We left from Florence and just had the hotel book a cab for 5 for our pickup to the airport. I waited until late to book the airport transfer and all they had left was the VIP pick up which included a 1.5 hour tour of Rome. That worked out really well! I thought it would orient us but it did not, however we saw some cool things we didn't see on our Rick Steves tour.
I totally understand your needing to ask. I've never lived where there was public transportation or taxis either.
Thank you, Pam.
I am good that we can get a transfer, but I guess I am asking in case we are on the streets of Rome and want to hitch a ride to another part of the city or back to our accommodations? And thanks for reassuring me that I'm not that far out of the 'norm' :-)
In London, the black cabs will handle five but my experience with Rome cabs is that four probably is the best you can do on the street. Pretty much standard mid-size sedans. I know you order larger size cabs but hailing one on the street is a bigger problem. Using a taxi stand makes it easier.
We just came from Rome (5 of us) and the answer to your question about a cab for 5 is yes. But, they are hard to come by. Many cabs all over Italy are now Fiat mini-vans, some are larger and can take as many as 7-8 with luggage, you can spot these easily and they are more common at the train station or airport. There is a smaller version that has either a fold up in the front seat or a fold down seat in the luggage area in the back. If you are not carrying luggage and you see one of the smaller vans ask if they can take 5, if they don't speak English and you don't speak Italian, I held up 4 fingers then 5 and they figured it out. There may be an extra charge for 5 but it's less than 2 cabs. Your hotel can call and specifically request a van. Taxi's may not stop on the street, go to a cab stand and there are usually several waiting and you may find a larger cab/van. Good luck.
Keith
ok.. but how about taking the metro or the bus?? Cheaper and can be faster( well metro is)..
The metro system in Rome ( as I recall ) is not very good... because its VERY simple.. like two lines.. but if you are going where they take you its really simple to figure it out.
We did not find the Metro to be too useful for most sites considering that we were staying near Piazza Navonna but yes, it is simple to use. From our home base, Bus 81 was very useful as it ran to the Vatican as well as to the Coliseum/Forum. The only thing about the bus in Rome is that with the cobbled streets, it will rattle your teeth out. Buy bus tickets at the tabac shops, they are all the same price, 1.5 euro and are good for 100 minutes. Bus several so you can jump on anytime, they are not validated until you get on the bus/metro. If you ask the driver, they will often let you know where to get off. Regarding the scooters, assume only that they will run you over! As I was told once about driving in Italy, traffic rules are only a suggestion.
Keith
You cannot hail a cab in Roma very successfully. A cab stand probably will not have a taxi the size you need, those tend to be found at the train stations.
Buses or metro would work, validate your tickets. Or request/reserve a taxi for 5 by phone.
We used UBER Black in Rome a few times. Plenty of options with van's a plenty. A Euro or two higher than a cab. It's no UBER like in the USA - it is all licensed car hire and all black Mercedes or Vans. No Uber in Florence, however in Rome it was great. Just use the app wherever you are and the car/van shows up.
Two suggestions:
there is a new app, Taxi.It. If you download it to your smartphone or even access it on a laptop,. you can specify the number of passengers. Unfortunately it is only in Italian. but fairly intuitive.
you can call a dispatcher -- I like 063570 -- and in addition to giving the address say you need a cab for 5 people. They speak English.
Y'all are awesome.
Thank you.
