Milan boasts a very good taxi service operated by private companies and licensed by the City of Milan.
All taxis are the same colour, white and as a result stand out from the crowd and are easy to spot.
You cannot hail them on the street but in the centre of town ranks are plentiful and easy to find.
Offices, hotels shops and restaurants all seem to be happy enough to call for one by telephone should you the visitor be unable to find one your self.
Drivers are courteous and knowledgeable and we found, extremely helpful with handling our luggage. Throughout our time in the city we found no problem communicating with them because they all appear to have mastered the art of essential English
It is however the taxi cabs themselves that make Milan stand out. Most are hybrid using batteries to start and petrol engines for the longer faster sections. Batteries receive charge each time the cab brakes.
Drivers report that they are easy to drive and are wonderfully frugal when it comes to fuel consumption often getting 20 kilometres to the litre even in heavy traffic.
With reduced emissions it seems the white taxis of Milan are in fact very green.
Volkswagen has picked up on the green theme unveiling a new taxi vehicle concept designed specifically for the purpose of being a taxi in milan.
The car has a single rear door on the passenger side which slide completely open making getting in and out safe and easy. up front the front passenger seat has been removed to make room for suitcases and other baggage
The centre console features a touch screen interface that gives users access to news and route information among other things.
It will run off of lithium ion batteries that provides an estimated 186 mile driving range.
