Taxi vouchers made available for those people most in need in Italy

The ministry of transport in Italy is providing funds for people with disabilities, or for those who have suffered financial loss as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, to support their mobility. The funds are provided in the form of vouchers so that beneficiaries are able to receive discounts while travelling by taxi or by rental services that come with a driver (referred to as NCC services in Italy). 

The initiative was arranged and financed at the national level within the framework of the national recovery measures to support municipalities adversely impacted by the pandemic. A total of €20 million is being made available for metropolitan municipalities and provincial capitals to provide travel vouchers to residents who have reduced mobility or who belong to those groups made economically weaker by the effects of the pandemic. 

More specifically, travel vouchers are being granted for journeys made by taxi or NCC services and are equal to 50% of the expenditure incurred, up to a maximum of €20 per journey within a monthly ceiling of €400 for each registered user. The cost of the trip is to be paid exclusively by debit or credit card and every passenger can use a maximum of two vouchers a day. 

Each municipality will be responsible for identifying the beneficiaries of the scheme in its area, as they are more familiar with local realities. In the municipality of Rome, for example, vouchers have already been available since 6 October. Here, vouchers are available for women over 18, men over 65 and for people with disabilities who do not benefit from the services already provided by the municipality. The request to register for the scheme can be submitted online directly on a dedicated portal. Vouchers can simply be downloaded from the site with a QR Code, which is to be scanned at the time of payment.

On the other hand, in the Municipality of Trento, travel vouchers are being made available for residents over the age of 70, people with temporary or permanent reduced mobility, pregnant women, unemployed people and those on low incomes. In Trento, vouchers are also available for pharmacists, doctors, nurses, social health workers and health technicians.

Original article published by themayor.eu on 8 October 2021.