While Rome does nothing to combat bus and metro inefficiencies, Milan completely changes the fare system of its local public transport. The most evident change is the increase in the price of tickets from 1,5 to 2 euros. Furthermore, from today, Monday 15 July, the Lombard capital will no longer organize travel only within the city limits, but within a system of nine concentric areas that go beyond the metropolitan borders, reaching as many as four million inhabitants in the 21 Municipalities that make up the Milanese hinterland.
Each concentric area represents a fare zone. The ticket can be stamped as many times as you want – on the metro, bus, tram and Trenord trains – within the 90-minute validity period. The annual urban pass in Milan will not suffer any increase, which will continue to cost 330 euros.
Children up to 14 years of age will be able to travel for free, even alone, on the entire network covering the metropolitan city and the province of Monza, by showing a card dedicated to them which can be requested online on the Atm website. Parents just need to fill out a form and all the necessary authorizations, also attaching a photo of the minor, after which the card will arrive at home within two months (in the meantime you can travel showing the receipt).
Another novelty on the way is the rechargeable electronic card, on the model of the London "Oyster card". It will be a prepaid card that will allow you to travel on public transport always with the most advantageous fare calculated automatically by the system.
That's not all: from next year there will also be a cut in prices on multi-year subscriptions, with a minimum duration of 24 months, which will allow you to take advantage of a sort of "loyalty discount" equal to 10%.
In 2020, the short-term ticket will also make its debut, which will cost less than 2 euros for a period of validity or a shorter journey than the normal coupon.
Lastly, multiple-use booklets will also arrive next year: a virtual "block" of journeys that can be shared by several passengers, even at the same time, again linked to the introduction of electronic ticketing.
