Using Bus in Italy

Bus Service Italy, Italy Bus Travel

Bus in Italy is a convenient and quite cheap kind of public transport. Public bus system in Italy is very developed and bus travel can bring you almost anywhere, including small villages and places of attraction.

Italy bus travel

Bus in Milan, Italy


Everyone giving a preference to a bus travel in Italy should remember that the front and the back doors of a bus (and a tram) serve for entrance. Middle doors are for exit of passengers from a bus only. Middle doors are used for entrance for disabled bus service or for baby trolley.


"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo,
but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
- Oprah Winfrey

 

Bus tickets in Italy

You can buy Italy bus tickets (biglietti) in newspaper or tobacco (tabacchi) booths in Italian cities. Bars and cafe provide bus tickets service in Italy only if on their doors there is a clear sign of local public bus operator.

Many public bus companies in Italy provide also airport shuttle which very regular and percise. Alternatively, if your are searching for

To find your bus company in Italy head to Bus Service Italy

 

If you did not buy Italy bus ticket previously you can still buy one onboard which has the following disadvantages: the ticket is more expensive on board, you can pay only with small change (no paper money generally accepted when buying a ticket from a driver) and the tickets can be finished, which in case of control becomes your problem.

Average price of bus service in Italy the for the city bus (or a tram) is approximately 0,7-1,2 Euro. With one bus ticket you can take an unlimited quantity of trips for 60 minutes (or for 75 minutes depending on a town). There are also special rates available for 3 hours, 4 hours and 24 hours (can not be bought onboard).

Acquiring bus subscriptions (monthly bus cards) is only convenient when staying in a city in Italy long term. There are also various rates for these but buying subscription is generally much cheaper than paying daily tickets for traveling by bus in Italy.

 

Italy Bus Penalties

During bus travel in Italy having a valid ticket is a must. Even when you don't have with you any money at all you won't get away in case of control.

The fine for traveling in buses in Italy without a ticket vary from region to region but usually it will be around 40 Euro. Moreover, you will still have to pay 1 Euro for a ticket.

If you don't have money with you for paying the penalty on spot, to you will receive a bill which is subject to payment within 60 days in any post office or any public bus operator office in your Italian city. Should you decide not to pay the first bill, the amount will increase up to 200 Euro and you can receive this bill also in your home country (for foreign tourists).

 

Bus Italy Timetable

The regular bus timetable you can normally find at every bus stop. Bus in Italy may have different schedules for work days (feriale) and week-ends and public holidays (festivo).

A sign "Sciopero" on bus stops means a strike which is quite a frequent event in Italy.

As a rule, bus service in Italy in cities is carried out only till 22:00. The most popular routes can be served exceptionally. In big cities there are night buses (notturni) which go about once an hour. These buses timetable you can also find at the bus stop.

I'd recommend buying a route map of the city if you are planning to travel by bus in Italy a lot. The route map will help you not to get lost in numerous Italian streets, their sightseeing and the best way to get there by bus. You can buy a map in many tourist or information offices in Italy or consult our maps section.

There also small electric buses in Italy cities (bussini ecologici). But normally their routes are quite limited to the city center.

View all Public Italy Bus Operators

 

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