Forty euros for a ‘ride’ from the Marconi airport in Bologna to the hotel in the seaside area of Rimini where he would have stayed. This is the super discounted rate offered by a citizen originally from Bangladesh to a traveler who has just got off the plane in the Emilian airport. Too bad the man didn’t have any type of license or permit, neither as a taxi driver nor as an NCC. He would also have managed to get away with it, if only he hadn’t run into the judicial team of the local police in Rimini. The illegal taxi driver thus ended up in the net of the police: now he will have to reach for his wallet and pay a very high fine. The car used for transport was also seized for confiscation purposes, while the driving license was withdrawn.
The fake taxi driver attracted the attention of local police officers the other evening, around 11pm, in via Faenza. The police noticed the man while he took some suitcases out of the trunk of the car, helping his passenger to unload them. They approached and asked for clarification. The tourist candidly admitted that as soon as he left the airport, he had been approached by the Bangladeshi citizen who had introduced himself as a taxi driver and had offered to accompany him to Rimini. All for the modest sum of 40 euros. A truly minimal price, given the rates you can encounter on the Riviera.
The tourist had immediately accepted the ride and immediately got into the car. Once the situation was ascertained and the checks were completed, the local police officers triggered the withdrawal of the Bangladeshi’s license. Added to this is the seizure of the vehicle, a fine of around 3 thousand euros and a criminal complaint for illegal practice of the profession.
Speaking of taxis, about ten days ago the Rimini City Council announced that it had approved the guidelines for the publication of the tender for the issue of 14 new licenses for consideration. The notice establishes that the issuing of the new licenses is linked to the use of vehicles with low environmental impact, with emissions between 0 and 135 g/km.
Concerns were raised by some trade associations, according to which it would be essential “to act within an integrated public transport planning and in light of evaluations that lead towards the effective improvement of the service”. Nonetheless, the associations have shown signs of openness, putting forward “constructive proposals, shared with the administration, so that the tender can lead to an effective improvement of the service”.
Lorenzo Muccioli
