STEP CLOSER TO ALL TAXIS: Uber signs deal in Italy putting 12,000 licensed taxis on its platform

Ride-hailing firm Uber have moved a step closer to making ALL licensed taxis available on its platform by 2025 by signing a deal with Italy’s largest taxi dispatcher.

After its surprising move to partner with New York City's famous yellow taxi industry, the ride-hailing firm are now focusing on existing taxi markets around the world to help solve coverage and availability issues.

Uber signed an agreement with IT Taxi who boast over 12,000 taxi drivers working within its fleet. All drivers will now have access to the Uber platform making it available in over 80 new cities.

The new deal in Italy is set to start in June. Uber have already managed to include taxis in Spain, Germany, Austria, Turkey, South Korea, Hong Kong and Colombia. According to sources, around thirty-five percent of people taking a taxi on the Uber platform go on to use other of its mobility products, the company said in February.

According to Reuters, Andrew Macdonald, Uber's senior vice president of mobility, said: "When we look at the next five years, we just don't see a world in which taxis and Uber exist separately. There's too much to gain for both sides."

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, said: "This is a truly historic deal in one of our most strategically important markets globally.

"We strongly believe taxis and Uber are better together, and we're committed to making this a partnership of trust and cooperation long into the future."