Naples - A day of severe disruption to city traffic: Neapolitan taxi drivers are on strike for 14 hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m., denouncing an "unsustainable situation."
The protest, called by a broad trade union front (including FEDERTAXI/CISAL-FAST/ CONFSAL-CONFAIL-ASSOCIAZIONE TASSISTI DI BASE-SITAN/ATN-UGL-ORSA TAXI-UNIMPRESA-URITAXI-UTI/CONSORTAXI), aims to obtain effective "rules and controls" to combat a dual crisis: unfair competition in the sector and the bureaucratic and traffic chaos that is paralyzing the city.
The reasons for the protests: traffic chaos, dumping, and illegal building.
Taxi drivers are filing charges against "multinationals and digital platforms" that they claim violate the law, engaging in "contract dumping" and unfair competition.
Competition and NCC
At the heart of the dispute is the growing illegal activity, which threatens the safety of users and takes jobs away from regular taxi drivers. NCC (rental with driver) vehicles are also being accused of systematically violating the principle of territoriality through the use of apps, operating within municipal boundaries without proper controls.
Municipal immobility
Meanwhile, taxi drivers are pointing the finger at the city administration, complaining of "bureaucracy and inaction." Despite the allocated funds, an effective traffic plan and, above all, functioning cameras to monitor and penalize improper use of bus lanes are lacking.
The licensing issue: "Traffic comes first."
A key and divisive point of the debate is the possible increase in taxi licenses, often touted by the local press as a solution to the transportation problem. The trade union believes that discussing new permits is "useless and misleading" until the main issue: chaotic traffic.
According to the unions, the absolute priority is the management of traffic flow:
Traffic closures in the most congested areas.
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Introduction of scheduled and controlled closures.
Only after assessing the impact of these measures on traffic flow, they argue, will it be possible to assess with "concrete data" whether there is an actual shortage of vehicles in service. "Today, the problem isn't the number of cars, but chaotic traffic that penalizes everyone: taxi drivers and citizens," the representatives state.
Inconveniences and Essential Services
The protesters apologized to residents for the inconvenience, but emphasized that the action was also intended to protect users, who would be forced to endure inefficiencies that inevitably increase ride costs.
Despite the expected massive turnout, the unions ensure that essential services will remain operational:
Transport of people with disabilities.
Services for pregnant women.
Connections to and from hospitals.
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