Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Rabaiotti: “Once again solidarity has been chosen as a way to restore strength to our city”. The service is active from today

Milan, 1 March 2021 - “Solidarity Taxi” is born, a new free public transport service dedicated to the weakest groups identified through the Milano Help network.
The project is promoted by the European Guido Venosta Foundation and involves the Milanese radio taxis 024040, 028585, 026969 and the trade associations TAM, SATaM, Artisans Union of the Province of Milan, Taxiservice. The Municipality of Milan, which favored its birth and oversaw its launch, will actively participate in the initiative.

In this first experimental phase, starting today, Monday 1st March, the elderly over 65, people with disabilities, volunteers active in the Milan Help network, minors welcomed into the community and in general citizens with serious difficulties will be able to use it socio-economic.
Use is simple: just call Milano Help through the Municipality's contact center (020202) to be put in direct contact with the single number to which the three radio taxis will refer, who will provide it, immediately or by appointment (in this case with a non-refundable advance payment). longer than three days) to provide a car.

For 'Solidarity Taxi' the Guido Venosta Foundation has made a budget of 1 million euros available, which will serve to cover the entire cost of the rides. The service will be active 24 hours a day every day until available funds run out, and in any case for a maximum period of six months, therefore until September 24st.
After this period of time, it will be evaluated whether to extend the service to further categories, for example medical and paramedical staff, to accompany citizens to the vaccination centres.

Founded on 27 June 2000 at the behest of Guido Venosta, the Foundation is now chaired by his nephew Giuseppe Caprotti. Venosta was one of the architects of the Airc (Italian Association for Cancer Research) which he managed from 1966 to 1996.

“Before becoming the soul of Airc, my grandfather had been a manager at Pirelli - comments Giuseppe Caprotti -. He was a concrete man, who liked to do things. I think I took after him: I wanted to involve the world of the real economy, combining the work of a category in difficulty, taxi drivers, with social issues, with assistance for disadvantaged groups of people. Furthermore, this intervention also aims to protect and help decongest urban transport in Milan."

“In agreement with the Guido Venosta Foundation, whom we thank for the beautiful initiative - says the councilor for social and housing policies Gabriele Rabaiotti - we are making 020202 available with Milano Help to allow the most difficult people we already intercept to be able to use the taxi if necessary. We thought of the disabled girls and boys who have to reach their centers every day, of the elderly, of the volunteers who continue to go to the homes of people in isolation who struggle to leave home, to help them. Another important sign of attention towards the weakest, yet another demonstration of having chosen solidarity as a way to restore strength to our city".