Peace breaks out between Uber and taxis

Uber and taxis, a nine-year war ends in 2022. The winner? Technological innovation. From June on the Uber app it will be possible to book not only car rides with driver but also taxis, thanks to a historic agreement with the ItTaxi consortium, which marks another step towards integrated mobility made possible by digital technologies.

The Head of Italy of the Californian company, Lorenzo Pireddu, announced the news on LinkedIn. The manager specified that the service will initially be active in Rome and will therefore be extended to the main Italian cities. "We are excited to start a new chapter of trust and cooperation, as we firmly believe that Uber and Taxis are better together!" wrote Pireddu.

Since arriving in Italy in 2013, Italian taxi drivers have tried in every way to block the roots in our country of the US startup born in 2009 to call a car with driver from a smartphone. But, after years of disputes, legal battles and sometimes even physical clashes, the two (now former) enemies finally realized that they could forge an agreement in favor of both. Thanks to the agreement signed with the itTaxi consortium, starting in June

Italy is one of those countries (and they are different all over the world) in which Uber has had a hard life. Symbol of disruption in urban mobility and for a long time the most valued startup in the world, its innovative ride-hailing service initially raised regulatory questions. Between 2014 and 2015, the Italian judiciary issued some sentences which substantially declared the service outlawed. Even if then, in 2017, a court in Rome sanctioned its legality. Having acknowledged the difficulties, the company changed its local strategy by initially focusing on the delivery of UberEats and extending to vehicles shared with electric bike sharing. Now reaching a new chapter in its Italian story, it is in effect one of the players of smart mobility in our cities.