Naples, the Basic Taxi Drivers Committee attacks the city council: "Tourist Ferragosto? We think it's propaganda."

Naples – A new controversy erupts between the Naples Basic Taxi Drivers Committee and the city administration. This time, the dispute centers on data and assessments of taxi operations during the Ferragosto holiday.

According to the Committee, describing a Ferragosto holiday characterized by intense activity for the taxi industry would be a misrepresentation of the reality experienced daily by operators. To support their position, taxi drivers cite audio recordings and testimonies collected from colleagues, which describe a situation characterized by cars sitting idle in taxi stands and a service supply exceeding demand.

"It's just political propaganda to talk about a busy August holiday for the taxi industry," the Committee argues, arguing that the situation should be verified directly on the ground.

License management in the spotlight

The protest isn't limited to summer workloads. In its statement, the Basic Taxi Drivers Committee also questions the administration's decisions regarding the number of licenses issued and, more generally, the city's mobility planning.

According to taxi drivers, the administration addressed the issue of increasing the fleet without adequately considering the impact of the numerous construction sites in the city and the consequences these would have on traffic.

The result, according to the trade, would be increasingly difficult mobility, with repercussions not only on residents but also on the organization of tourist flows.

«Construction sites and traffic affect tourism»

One of the most critical passages of the document concerns the city's traffic situation.

The Committee describes a "wild and disorganized urban construction site" and maintains that travel restrictions could also impact tour operators' strategies.

According to taxi drivers, some tour operators have modified their offerings to avoid disruptions and delays for visitors, directing part of their traffic to different times of the year or to other destinations.

This is an assessment expressed by the Committee, which however asks the administration to concretely verify the impact of the construction sites on mobility and tourist presence.

The request: "We need real data"

The central point of the protest is the need, according to taxi drivers, for planning based on up-to-date data and knowledge of the actual conditions of the service.

"Non-scheduled public transport cannot be managed simply by receiving written requests to increase the fleet," argues the Committee, which instead calls for constant monitoring of supply and demand.

The category proposes, in particular, to verify how many taxis remain parked in taxi stands for extended periods and what the actual demand for service is at different times of the day.

The burden of expensive fuel

The document also addresses the contraction in work activity recorded, according to the Committee, during 2026.

Several factors are thought to be contributing: the international geopolitical situation, the widespread increase in costs, and, above all, the high cost of fuel. According to taxi drivers, the increase in air travel costs has also affected tourists' spending habits.

A situation that, operators claim, is also found in the hospitality sector, which the category claims to deal with on a daily basis.

"The councilors take to the streets"

The request addressed to the municipal administration is therefore for a direct comparison with the reality of the service.

The Committee urges the relevant councilors to go beyond statistics and official communications, but to directly verify the conditions of parking spaces and the daily work of taxi drivers.

The question posed by the industry is clear: before authorizing a further increase in car traffic, we need to understand the real demand, how many taxis are left idle for hours, and what impact construction sites are having on mobility and the choices of tourism operators.

The Committee's conclusion is clear: "Urban mobility is not governed from the City Hall: it is governed by knowing and experiencing the streets every day."