Uber to develop in Italy through a deal with the country's most extensive taxi dispatcher

May 26, 2022: -Uber has signed a partnership with IT Taxi, the most extensive taxi dispatch service in Italy, in a tie-up to increase the company’s presence in the country.

On Tuesday, according to a statement released, the deal permitted IT Taxi’s 12,000 taxi drivers to accept journeys through the Uber app, which covers 90 cities across the country.

It comes as Uber and different ride-hailing apps grapple with an ongoing shortage of drivers, leading to higher fares and longer waiting times.

Uber said the pact would be helping the firm expand its presence in Italy, Europe’s fourth-largest economy.

It follows a similar deal Uber agreed to in New York in March. The company has partnerships with taxi groups in Hong Kong, Madrid, and San Francisco.

“This is a historic deal in one of our strategically important markets globally,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.

“We strongly believe taxis and Uber are good together, and we’re committed to this a partnership of trust and cooperation in the future.”

Uber has been facing opposition from Italian taxi drivers for years now. The firm was the target of protests from taxi drivers in the year 2017, who accused it of engaging in unfair competition. The exact year, an Italian court blocked the company over anti-competition concerns, but this was overturned.

Now, its platform is opening up to thousands of drivers across the country.

Uber decreased to share the complete financial terms for the deal. A company’s spokesperson said its taxi service is taking a fixed commission for access to the platform. In Spain, the rate Uber charges are 12%.