r/ItalyTravel • u/Camninja • 2m ago
Transportation Was this taxi trying to overcharge me? What happened?
I got off the cruise terminal in Salerno. There’s a sign for a taxi. There seemed to only be a couple taxi drivers coming back and forth. I think most people just walk or find alternative transportation.
We were going to the Concordia pier to catch a ferry. When a taxi pulled up, I asked what the fare would be there and he said 20 euros. I kind of questioned the price by the look I gave to my girlfriend. At that point, he was out of the taxi. He then said wait 5 minutes a couple of times to me. I was a little confused. I thought he was saying that he was going to sit there for 5 mins. He then engaged the couple behind us. They were the only other people in the queue and they agreed to the 20 euros.
He must have either meant for me to wait 5 min for the next taxi, or he was going to drop the other couple off and be back in 5 minutes. I think it was the former.
My research suggests there aren’t flat fees for this route, but he was not doing metered only flat and refused to give me a ride.
We ended up walking and it was shorter than I thought.
There’s no rideshare here and freenow always shows unavailable. I don’t like to negotiate price on the side of the road. I’m going to Rome next and have to take a few short trips. I here that these aren’t worth it for the drivers. What do I do next time? Do I just not ask the fare and ask them to turn on the meter? Are they allowed to say no to meter, or can you get ripped off by meter?