‘I have to dodge them all the time’: Rome locals incensed by rise in golf cart tours
Rome's authorities are intensifying a crackdown on golf cart tours after discovering that 90 per cent of roughly 500 vehicles operating in the city lack proper authorisation. The proliferation has ignited conflict between residents and taxi drivers who feel the trade is spiralling out of control, whilst tourists value the tours as respite from Rome's heat, crowds and cobblestones.
Police stopped 131 carts this week around major landmarks including Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, issuing €38,000 in fines for unlicensed driving and illegal parking. Tours cost between €100 and over €400 per person and appeal particularly to visitors with mobility difficulties and families with children, though residents say they must constantly navigate around the vehicles through already-chaotic streets.
- Police fined 131 unauthorised golf carts and issued €38,000 in penalties
- 90 per cent of roughly 500 carts lack proper licensing in Rome
- Tourists value them for relief; residents complain they worsen city chaos
New here? Start with this
Rome has experienced rapid growth in golf cart tours, with hundreds of vehicles now offering trips around the city's landmarks and attractions. These open vehicles appeal to tourists seeking relief from Rome's summer heat, cobbled streets and physical demands of walking, as well as families with young children or older visitors.
The expansion has created friction with residents and taxi drivers. Local people say they must constantly navigate around the vehicles on already busy streets, whilst licensed cabbies view the tours as unfair competition affecting their livelihoods.
The vast majority of carts operating in Rome lack proper authorisation. This has led authorities to scrutinise the industry more closely, reflecting wider concerns about regulating transport and tourism in the city's congested historic centre.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Golf cart tours address a genuine accessibility problem for elderly visitors, people with mobility difficulties, and families with young children who would struggle with Rome's demanding terrain, cobblestones, and summer heat. These services fill a real gap for tourists who might otherwise avoid the city or face safety risks, and they represent legitimate local economic opportunity. Whilst regulatory compliance is important, the appropriate response is to streamline authorisation processes rather than eliminate a service that meaningfully benefits vulnerable visitors.
The case against
The fact that 90 per cent of carts operate without proper authorisation represents a serious regulatory failure, and Rome's residents should not have to navigate around unauthorized vehicles in their own streets and neighbourhoods. Beyond personal inconvenience, the uncontrolled proliferation raises safety concerns in crowded tourist areas and unfairly disadvantages licensed taxi operators who follow the rules. Rome's historic centre has finite capacity, and 500 additional vehicles threaten the very walkability and character that make the city attractive to tourists in the first place.