Rome gives green light to first taxi licences in 20 years.

Rome is to increase its taxi fares and issue 1,000 new taxi licences, addressing a chronic shortage of cabs in Italy's capital, mayor Roberto Gualtieri confirmed on Tuesday.

The hike in taxi fares, first reported last week, will affect the initial fixed charge, the minimum fare, and the cost of getting to and from Rome's two airports.

The tender for the 1,000 new taxis will be published by the end of this month, ahead of the Jubilee Year 2025 when extra millions of tourists and pilgrims are set to arrive in Rome.

The city says that thanks to the new taxis and the introduction of "seconde guide" supplementary shifts, the overall number of taxis available over multiple time slots within 24 hours will go from the current 7,700 to almost 9,200 in the next few months.

Long faced with opposition from the powerful taxi lobby, the last time the city issued new taxi licences was two decades ago, in 2004.

In recent years the lack of taxis has caused headaches for Rome's tourists and residents, frequently leading to bad press for the sector.

Acknowledging the taxi crisis in the capital, Gualtieri said: "There are too few taxis, we need more as soon as possible to avoid the scenes of endless queues we are witnessing".

• Why is it so hard to get a taxi in Rome?

The city also published the "remodulation" of taxi fares on Tuesday.

The initial fixed charge, which had not been changed since 2012, will go from €3 to €3.50 on weekdays during the day, and from €7 to €7.50 at night, from 22.00 to 06.00.

A minimum fare of €9 will be introduced, with the city noting that approximately three per cent of all taxi fares are currently below this price.

The fixed rate to and from Fiumicino airport rises from €50 to €55 and the Ciampino fare goes from €31 to €40, for fares within the city's Aurelian Walls.

The city said the discount for women travelling in a taxi at night will be increased from 10 to 15 per cent, along with a new 10 per cent discount for those aged over 70.

For more details of Rome's updated taxi fares and new taxi licences see the city website. Photo credit: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com.