US firm's app will roll out in Italy for North American visitors, entering a market where Uber is tightly restricted and taxi drivers have repeatedly gone on strike.American ride-hailing company Lyft is bringing its app to Rome this month, with availability in the Italian capital due to begin during October and the wider rollout in Italy due to be completed by the end of the month.  The launch is aimed at North American travellers rather than Italian residents: riders will use the same app, account and payment methods they use at home.   Lyft announced the European expansion on 30 September, starting with early access in Barcelona and Hamburg, before London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Athens and Warsaw follow in October. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, Lyft is one of the two dominant ride-hailing services in the United States, alongside Uber.   To make the launch possible, Lyft built a new backend system that connects its app to a third-party marketplace and gives riders access to that marketplace's drivers. The company has not said which operators will supply cars in Rome. European riders can still use the Freenow by Lyft app, which Lyft bought from BMW and Mercedes-Benz in 2025 and which operates in Italy, among other countries. Uber in Italy Uber has been in Italy since 2013, but not in the form familiar elsewhere. In 2015 Italy blocked the Uber service that relied on drivers without commercial licences, following legal challenges from taxi associations. The platform now works only with licensed NCC drivers (noleggio con conducente, or chauffeur-driven hire), while the private-driver model remains banned. In 2022 Uber signed a deal with itTaxi, Italy's largest taxi dispatcher, allowing users to book traditional taxis through its app. This summer it widened its offer with Uber Comfort, as well as UberX in the southern Calabria region. A volatile sector Italy's taxi drivers have fought ride-hailing apps for years. In 2017 a six-day strike left commuters stranded and led to violent protests in Rome and other cities. Drivers argue that NCC operators can compete without taxis' fixed fares and licence limits.   Tensions have flared again this year. On 13 January about 20 unions staged a national strike, demanding clear rules for digital platforms and the implementing decrees they say have been pending for years.   Cab drivers also object to algorithms that raise fares when demand rises, which taxis are barred from doing.    Photo credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com