Buses in Italy, as in other European countries, are a very common form of transport, which both Italians and numerous tourists enjoy using. The main advantages of Italy's bus service are its low fare, as well as an extensive network of routes. Disadvantages of this type of transport in Italy are also there, but we will talk about them a little lower.
Despite the fact that the cities in Italy are mostly small, the bus service here is well developed.
City buses in Italy
City routes are designed so that the bus can be reached in any area of the city. In order to quickly understand the intricacies of streets, you can purchase a map of bus routes - they are sold at information kiosks that are “stuck” in every corner in major cities.
A map of bus routes will help you figure out the intricacies of the streets.
Most of buses in Italy - three-door, passengers enter the front and rear doors, near which composters are installed, while the middle doors are designed for outgoing passengers.
Not so long ago, buses of the new generation bussini ecologici appeared on the streets of Italian cities. These miniature passenger vehicles do not pollute the environment and are notable for their maneuverability, which makes it easy to move along narrow streets and alleys, but they are inferior in speed to traditional buses.
Miniature bussini ecologici do not pollute
Intercity Buses
Usually, the search for the necessary bus route within one region is a simple matter, and such a trip is inexpensive. The only “But” - to bring all routes “to a single denominator” is not easy. Each region has its own bus schedule and is usually not coordinated with other regions.
Worse, if you are planning to travel between cities in different regions of Italy: due to the lack of a single large intercity operator, the search for a bus with the optimal route and price may take a long time, and it is not a fact that it will succeed. The reason for this situation lies in the excessive enthusiasm of the Italians for railways. The latter are thoroughly developed here, and thanks to the system of high-speed trains, the journey is much faster and more comfortable.
Finding the right bus in Italy may take a long time
In more detail, BlogoItaliano devoted separate articles to all modes of travel between the most popular cities among tourists:
- How to get from Rome to Naples and from Naples to Rome
- How to get from Milan to Rome and from Rome to Milan
- How to get from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Rome
- How to get from Venice to Florence and from Florence to Venice
- How to get from Milan to Venice and from Venice to Milan
- How to get from Rome to Venice and from Venice to Rome
- How to get from Turin to Milan and from Milan to Turin
- How to get from Milan to Florence and from Florence to Milan
Now that we have more or less sorted out intercity buses in Italy, we will return to city routes again.
Bus schedule
City buses in Italy operate from 5:30 to 22:00, with the exception of popular routes in tourist centers - they run until midnight. In addition, in Italy there are night buses marked with the letter "N" - they run at intervals of about an hour from 00:30 to 5:30 in the morning.
City buses in Italy are open from 5:30 to 22:00
Bus Schedules in Italy posted at almost every bus stop. Please note that for weekdays and weekends, traffic patterns are different. The driving mode of night buses is usually surrounded by a black frame. Sometimes on the billboards informing about the bus schedule in Italy, you can see the inscription "Sciopero" - this means that the transport company employees went on strike and the buses do not go, in which case you will have to use another type of transport - metro, tram or taxi.
Tickets
Tickets for city buses can be purchased at newsstands or tobacco shops, as well as bars and cafes marked with the ATAF transport company logo - you can recognize it by the inscription, as well as the image of a person on an orange-violet background. Bus drivers do not sell tickets in the daytime, but after 21 hours you can buy a ticket directly on the bus, however, it will cost one and a half times more than in a street kiosk.
A single ticket is valid on any city bus for 1 hour
Cost bus ticket in Italy - from 1 to 1.5 euros (2014). A single ticket gives the right to travel on the bus of any city route for 1 hour. Time is counted from the moment the ticket was validated. There are also reusable bus tickets: you can buy tickets valid for several hours - a three-hour ticket costs a little less than two euros, a four-hour ticket costs about four, and a ticket for a day - it will cost about 4.5 euros.
If you plan to travel a lot by bus, it is advisable to purchase a ticket that costs about 30 euros (students of European universities receive discounts). The procedure for issuing a travel card consists of two stages - first you need to get an identity card worth 5 euros at Ufficio Abbonamenti e Informazioni ATAF, and only then - the travel card itself bus ticket in Italy, which includes the number of the received certificate, as well as the name and surname of the owner. After that, a stamp is put on the ticket, without which the document is invalid.
Another solution for using public transport is to buy a travel card. This option is available in major tourist cities in Italy and, as a rule, is much more profitable than a standard travel card or buying a garland of one-time tickets. Also, the validity of such travel cards often applies to all types of transport. Since each city has its own municipal rules and tariffs, it makes sense to find out the details regarding the cost of tourist travel tickets in relation to the end point of your trip. At BlogoItaliano, we also addressed this issue in the following articles:
- Public transport in Rome
- Public transportation in Milan
- Vaporetti - water public transport in Venice
Stowaways on buses are strictly punished: it is better not to take risks and pay for the use of transport, since savings can come sideways. Severe Italian controllers defy any persuasion, an attempt to pity them with a story about the tourist’s heavy share or lack of money can only lead to even more trouble - an increase in the amount of the fine or even arrest.
Ticket validity starts from the moment of composting
The fine for stowaways is 40 euros, to which the cost of the ticket is added. If you don’t have enough money to pay the fine on the spot, you will be issued a receipt - it can be paid both at the post office and at the office of the transport company (Ufficio Abbonamenti e Informazioni ATAF). 60 days are given to pay the fine, in case of delay the amount increases to 200 euros, in addition, information about your violation is sent to the embassy, and this can further lead to trouble when entering the Schengen countries.
Other useful articles:
- Railways in Italy: train schedules and ticket purchases
- How to buy cheap flights to Italy
- Car rental in Italy: 5 most useful sites for a trip
