What's the best way to get a taxi in Rome if you're not near a taxi stand - phone, app, something else? I'm mainly looking for relatively short rides in the city, not to the airport or the like. We don't speak Italian.
Is https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Rome-Italy&lang=en generally accurate for estimating taxi fares?
I don't know if there is an app available. But I have never had a problem getting a taxi in Rome. There are a lot of taxi stands and, if no stand, you can flag down a taxi with the light on, just as you would here. Even with a language barrier, you can say the name of the monument/location or show an address and the driver will understand.
As long as you are within the city center, your rides will probably max out at 11-12 euro with a surcharge for night or if you have luggage. A hotel or B&B would be willing to call your first taxi of the day for you.
The last time we were in Rome, I looked for taxis on the streets a couple of times and never saw a taxi go by with a light on. Perhaps I was just unlucky. That's why I was asking about phone or apps.
If you are leaving a site, just look for a cab parked on the street nearby. Give the name of your destination. Plan on €8-12 per ride.
We successfully used Uber in Rome when we could not locate a taxi stand.
Taxis in Roma do not cruise, it's a long shot to hail one on the street.
Some tourist maps from hotels or TI offices show taxi stands, or perhaps Google "taxi stands Rome"?
Several options:
Meant to say....write down the address you are going to on a slip of paper for the driver. Minimizes misunderstanding.
Do use an app called MyTaxi - it's all the rage here currently, and more and more taxi drivers are starting to adhere to its network, especially because it's so easy to use for foreign travellers. You can pay the ride through the app. While the judges decide on Uber in Italy, it's the best next thing!
Which of these would be best:
1) SMS http://www.3570.it/services/smstaxi
2) it Taxi https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.ud.microtek.ITTaxi
3) mytaxi https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=taxi.android.driver (is this the correct link for the app?)
No. 3) is the most used at present, so you'll have higher chances of having a taxi when you need it, without having to wait.
As mentioned by other forum users, there are a lot of taxi stands in Rome and I'm guessing you will be staying in the center of the city, so you won't have problems either way :)
(yes, it is the correct link for the app!)
I'm more concerned about finding one when walking around during the day rather than starting from a known location in the morning.
We're staying a few blocks from the Piazza dell'Indipendenza, which seems to be a taxi stand. Should there be a problem finding a taxi there around 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning?
Looking again at the link for myTaxi, it's the "mytaxi App for Taxi Drivers". I think the app to order a taxi is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=taxi.android.client
A Roman friend on another board says: "Use the ittaxi app, better than mytaxi in rome. You can do everything in english and pay with cc or paypal. My taxi is very unreliable. Uber is only uber black and costs around double of a regular taxi."
We used itTaxi when we were in Rome in 2015 and had no problems.
I agree with Laurel above. We used the SMS (text) to get taxi's in Rome with excellent results. And yes, only use the official Rome taxi's with the SPQR on them. We would text our address or location and got a response in a minute or two, if not in seconds. The message will tell you when the cab will arrive and the number of the cab, so there is no confusion. If you do not speak Italian well, then do write down the address to which you are going and/or the name of the museum, restaurant or hotel. Phone number and details here: http://www.rome-travel.org/rome-taxi-service-calling-a-taxi-in-rome/
