What private hire is and how it differs from a taxi
NCC stands for noleggio con conducente, the Italian term for private hire with driver. It is a passenger transport service provided on request, with a vehicle and a driver assigned to that journey. The difference from a taxi is not one of quality or of price: it is one of operation. A taxi is picked up on the spot, at a rank or by phone, and the fare is worked out during the ride, apart from the flat fares set for certain destinations. Private hire is arranged beforehand: the route, the time, the pick-up point and the vehicle are agreed in the request, and the price is known before you get in.
The most important practical consequence is that private hire cannot be improvised. There is no point looking for one in the street or expecting it to be available in ten minutes: it is a tool for the journeys you know about in advance, that is arrivals, departures, events, long routes and days with several stops. For spur-of-the-moment journeys around the city, the comparison between the alternatives is in the guide to getting around Rome.
The vehicle categories
The categories available differ by type of car and capacity. The Economy+ saloon accommodates up to three passengers, the Business and Electric saloons up to four, all with two hold bags; the Minivan seats up to eight and is the category for groups, families and plenty of luggage. There is also an Executive category with no list price: it is always quoted individually.
How the price is built up, item by item
The price is no mystery and does not depend on the traffic: it is made up of a base and a few items that are added only when they apply. The table lines them up in the order in which they are applied.
| Item | When it applies | How it affects the price | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat fare for the route | On the set routes: to and from Fiumicino, Ciampino and the port of Civitavecchia. | It is the base, applied to the vehicle and not to the person: for example €70 Economy+, €80 Business or Electric, €100 Minivan between the airports and Rome addresses inside the GRA ring road, or from one airport to the other. | Choose the category by passengers and luggage. |
| Individual quote | For every other destination, in Italy and in Europe. | The price is worked out on the route requested and given before confirmation. | State the pick-up and drop-off addresses precisely. |
| Night supplement | For departures between 22:00 and 05:59. | It increases the fare for the route by 10%. | If you can move the time, check whether you fall outside those hours. |
| Short-notice supplement | When the request arrives less than 24 hours ahead. | It increases the fare by 20%; it is added to the night supplement when both apply. | Send the request more than 24 hours ahead. |
| Intermediate stop | For each extra address to call at within the same journey. | It adds €25 to the quote for each stop. | State the stops in the request, not during the ride. |
| Additional journeys | When several separate journeys are arranged in the same request. | Each journey has its own list fare, with its own date and time; the total is the sum of the journeys listed. | Give us all the journeys together, each with its date and time. |
You receive the quote before committing to anything: send us the route, the date, the time, the passenger count and the luggage details.
Check availability and request a quoteWhat a private driver costs in Rome
Six routes have a published price list: to and from Fiumicino and Ciampino for Rome addresses inside the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA) ring road, EUR included, €70 for Economy+, €80 for Business and Electric, €100 for the Minivan; Ciampino–Fiumicino at the same €70, €80 and €100; Rome, inside the GRA, to the port of Civitavecchia, €165, €180 and €220; Fiumicino to the port, €155, €180 and €220; Ciampino to the port, €175, €200 and €240. These are per-vehicle prices, not per person, valid in both directions, with fuel and tolls included. Each intermediate stop adds €25. The Executive category has no list price and is always quoted on request, as is every destination outside those six routes, including addresses outside the GRA: the full picture is on the rates page.
By the hour, by the day, by the kilometre
We do not publish an hourly, daily or per-kilometre rate: the quote depends on the duration, the itinerary and the expected waiting, as well as on tolls and the vehicle's return, and it reaches you before any commitment. To produce it we need very little: the date, the start time, the pick-up point, what you have planned and how many of you there are.
Private hire, taxis and booking apps
Booking apps are channels, not services: depending on the service you pick inside one, a taxi or a private hire car may turn up, and price, waiting, child seats and receipts follow that service's rules. Private hire and taxis, on the other hand, are two services with rules of their own. The table compares the points where the differences are verifiable.
| Aspect | Our private hire service | Taxi | Booking app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Agreed before the journey: a fixed fare on the listed routes, a quote on the others. | The meter, or a set fare on the routes the City of Rome has fixed. | Depends on the service picked in the app: an estimate, or that service's own fare. |
| Booking | Always in advance: the journey starts from a request and an explicit confirmation. | Taken at a rank or called, including through the radio-taxi apps. | Booked in the app, immediately or for a later time, depending on the service. |
| Waiting at the airport | Agreed in the request; the time is tied to the flight number and the actual landing. | Found at the terminal taxi rank. | Meeting point and waiting depend on the service selected. |
| Child seats | Requested with the booking, giving age, weight and height. | The car may not carry one: it has to be asked for in advance. | Depends on the service: some options provide them, others do not. |
| Receipt and invoice | A receipt always; a named invoice on request, useful for business travel. | A receipt is due on the passenger's request. | Receipt and invoice depend on the service that runs the journey. |
| Who drives | A private hire operator, with the vehicle and driver assigned in advance. | A driver holding a municipal taxi licence. | A taxi or a private hire car, depending on the service chosen: the app is the channel. |
How to book, and when the booking is confirmed
This is the step that causes the most confusion, and it is worth being explicit: sending a request does not complete the booking. As set out in the Terms and Conditions, requests sent through the site form, WhatsApp, iMessage or by telephone constitute a request for a quote and for availability: the booking is considered confirmed only after our explicit confirmation. Until that moment there is no commitment on either side.
What to send with the request
- Pick-up and drop-off points, with full addresses: for addresses in the centre we also need the entrance reference, because access rules change from zone to zone.
- Date and time of the journey.
- Flight number or ship name, when the journey is tied to an arrival or a departure.
- Number of passengers and bags, separating hold suitcases from hand luggage: it is what determines the vehicle category.
- Child seats, with the age, weight or height of the children travelling.
- Intermediate stops or additional journeys, given with everything else and not later on.
Cancellation
Again under the Terms, cancellation is free until 24 hours before the agreed pick-up time; for later cancellations or for a no-show, any charges are set out when the booking is confirmed. It is worth reading that when you receive the confirmation, not when you need it.
Payment
Payment can be made online by card at the time of booking, or in cash directly to the driver at the end of the ride, with a 30% deposit paid online. The method is chosen in the request; for business trips, the invoicing details should be given at the same time and not once the journey is over.
The practical questions everybody asks
Tipping
In Italy tipping is not compulsory and is not expected. In chauffeur transport the same rule applies as in a restaurant: it is a voluntary gesture, not part of the price. Nobody will ask for it, and not leaving one is not rude.
What the fare covers
What is included, and anything excluded, is set out in the quote you receive in reply to your request: that is the document to read, because it depends on the route. The general rule is that everything foreseeable is stated beforehand; anything added along the way — a detour decided on the spot, an unplanned wait — is agreed when it arises, and does not appear as a surprise at the end.
Stops during the journey
On long routes a short break is arranged with the driver during the journey. An intermediate stop is a different matter, that is an address to reach before the destination: that affects the quote, by €25 each, and has to be stated in the request because it changes the route and the timings.
The meeting point
It is set out in the service confirmation, together with the instructions for recognising the driver. For arrivals by air the reference is the arrivals area of the terminal where you land; for the port of Civitavecchia it depends on the terminal and on the connections running that day, as explained in the guide to the port of Civitavecchia. In the centre, the practicable point depends on the zone: see the guide to Rome’s ZTL.
Children and animals
Child seats are requested at the time of booking, giving the age, weight or height of the children; the subject is explored in the guide on travelling with children. Animals travelling with you should also be mentioned in the request, so the journey can be organised accordingly.