Taxi Service in Florence and Lucca

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/tip-use-uber-app-in-rome-to-call-for-a-taxi

There is one quirk with calling Italian cabs. The meter starts from the moment of the call so it is possible that the meter has a couple of Euro on it when the taxi arrives to pick you up. It is not a scam.

You can either get taxis from set taxi stands or by calling them via phone or app. I believe the businesses prefer app at this point and voice calls require a certain amount of language proficiency. I heard conflicting opinions on which taxi app was the best so I would ask around the town you're staying in for which app is best to use.

Google maps works pretty well for finding taxi stands and for local bus/mass transit services. In smaller towns especially businesses and hotels are often willing to call for you if politely ask them to.

Speaking of small towns - old town Lucca is extremely traffic restricted and I'm not sure how much sense using a taxi makes unless you're going into or out of the old town. Even then I would set expectations about how close to a specific place a taxi can drop you depending on where your'e going. Bus service is restricted to the very edge of town and car service is generally restricted to the ring road and specific streets.

And as mentioned it's more expensive to call for a taxi than from the stand. These charges - as well as Sundays, late night etc - are generally also valid and are prescribed by the local government.

=Tod

If I get a taxi from a set taxi stand, say in front of Rome Termini Station, what precautions, if any , should I take? Check for a meter, ask about credit card usage, etc.? Just asking because last time in Rome I had to say no to a couple “unofficial” taxis that did not display a meter and were hesitant about accepting a credit card. That is why I thought using Uber to call a taxi I could not only determine the fare in advance, but also see how many minutes away the ride was.

If you get a taxi at an arranged taxi stand it will be legitimate since it is populated by other legitimate cabbies who aren't going to let just anyone get in line at the taxi stand. I think the stands were created, at least in part, to combat picking up taxis on the street and the potential abuses. As I'm sure you know ignore anyone approaching you about a ride before you get to the official stand especially in an airport or train station.

If you want to pay by credit card check to make sure the machine "is working". They are required to provide credit card options but it could be "broken" if you don't confirm beforehand. The question is pretty universal so I doubt you'll hit a language barrier when asking but the Italian is "Posso pagare con una carta di credito?" and any sentence with "pago" (I pay) or "pagare" (to pay) and a something like "carta credito" will get it across even if they don't speak English. (And I bet they speak at least that much English.)

The only other thing you can do is tell them you'll need a receipt (ricevuta - reecha-vuta) when the trip is over so they know you'll have a record of the trip. If you suspect any funny business make sure you get the complete receipt has the cab number on it when you get it.
[Edit - Google translate takes care of these language concerns if you're really stuck or worried.]

If you're taking a cab from the airport into the city there are pre-arranged prices for these trips and they should be known. I have only heard of people having issues in Naples with these prearranged fees and fares. (When I was in La Spezia there was a signboard with preset prices to Porto Venere that I think were excessive but they were posted so you can't say you didn't know.)

In short I wouldn't worry about it too much. Take sensible precautions, act like you know what you're doing and otherwise just kind of assume most people are just doing their jobs and not trying to take advantage. I've never had any issues with taxis in Italy since you had to pay in lira.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

https://apptaxi.it/en/
https://www.taximove.it/
https://www.ittaxi.it/

The first one and the second are used a lot in Florence, by the two main companies.
ItTaxi is used by one of the Lucca companies, the other uses Apptaxi.

However I doubt you will be using the taxi much in either city, except for when you arrive and depart at the airport or train station, when you have luggage. The city centers of both Florence and Lucca are small enough that you can walk everywhere.

For taxi in Lucca, we call Willy, +39 389 999 4610. He will take you outside of Lucca as well, Pisa, Florence, etc.