Too drunk to drive back home? Italian government will offer a free taxi ride

Italy is in the midst of testing a programme to offer free taxi rides for party-goers in a bid to curb incidents of drunk driving and deadly accidents. This is part of an initiative commissioned by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, the pilot project for which will run until mid-September.

About the initiative

So far, the pilot programme has only been launched at six nightclubs around the country, from Puglia in the south to Tuscany and Veneto in the north. In line with the scheme, if a person appears too drunk when they exit the venue, they will be subjected to an alcohol test.

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Based on the test, if the person’s blood alcohol level is deemed above the legal limit, a taxi will be called to take them home and it will be paid for by the government, with funding for the scheme being provided by the transport ministry.

The announcement was also made on the Italian lawmaker’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account, where he wrote, “Free taxis at the end of the night for those who have drunk too much,” and called it a “practical initiative”.

The initiative is “aimed at preventing danger and tragedy on the roads”, adding that fines and drink-driving laws were not enough to combat the problem.

He added, “The idea, born after meetings at the ministry on road safety with influencers and content creators, provides for the payment of transport to those who, undergoing the alcohol test at the exit of the discos, exceed the limit set for getting behind the wheel.”

“To stop the slaughter (on the roads), we need to involve everyone in terms of prevention,” said Salvini, on X, last week.

A somewhat welcomed step

According to local media reports, the initiative was welcomed and largely well-received. “I think it’s a good idea because there are so many accidents. People go out dancing and they drink. This experiment could finally contain the problem,” a young man named Marco told the newspaper Il Gazzettino, outside the nightclub near the town of Jesolo.

However, the scheme has also been criticised by social media users, while responding to the lawmaker’s post on X. Some people on the microblogging app said that the scheme “rewards” excessive alcohol consumption.

“I’m so happy that people can now get wasted on alcohol without consequences and the state will pay for their transport,” said another person, on social media.

While others appeared to resent that their taxes would contribute to such an initiative.“Knowing that the taxes I pay end up like this really makes me sick!” said another critic, on X.

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