Giuseppe Caprotti – Guido Venosta Foundation and COVID: The “Taxi Solidale ”Project
In April 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Giuseppe Caprotti assumed leadership of the FGV and committed himself to steering it through the multitude of emergencies arising during the crisis, striving to make a tangible and targeted contribution. Among these, one of the most successful and rewarding was the ‘Taxi Solidale.’ Starting in March 2021 and lasting for six months, the FGV financed a free public transportation service in Milan in collaboration with several taxi radio companies, trade associations, and the Municipality of Milan through the Milano Aiuta service. This benefit was extended to seniors over 65, people with disabilities, volunteers active in the Milano Aiuta network, minors residing in community homes, and, more generally, citizens facing severe socio-economic difficulties, allowing them to leave their homes for essential activities during the Covid-19 pandemic—such as medical appointments, managing economic issues, obtaining vaccines and tests, and visiting relatives without personal transportation.
As President Giuseppe Caprotti explained, ‘We wanted to involve the real economy by pairing the work of a struggling sector—taxi drivers—with social assistance for disadvantaged groups. Moreover, this initiative also aimed to protect and help decongest urban transportation in Milan.’
The initiative received favorable coverage in many media outlets. Taxi drivers were able to work, and many isolated individuals could leave their homes with reduced fear—both of loneliness and of being unable to access necessary care. Numerous testimonials highlighted the richness of these human experiences and the gratitude for having lived them. In the end, the taxi drivers presented the President with a much-appreciated plaque of thanks.
On the occasion of Christmas 2024, the ‘Taxi Solidale’ experience was repeated, albeit on a smaller yet significant scale, to deliver gifts to children hospitalized in Milan’s pediatric hospitals and to the staff who care for them.
