Rome commuters face price hike in fares on public transport.

The cost of tickets on Rome's public transport network is set to increase this summer from the current €1.50 to €2, according to reports in the Italian media.

The price hike is set to take effect from 1 July, Rome newspaper Il Messaggero reports, citing the recently published financial plan of the Lazio regional coach company Cotral.

The rise in ticket prices relates to the capital's Metrebus fare system, a consortium of which Cotral is a partner together with Trenitalia and Rome's municipal transport provider ATAC.

Under the financial plan, Cotral outlines a rise in ticket prices in line with a similar move foreseen for Metrebus Roma, Il Messaggero reports.

The price hike would see the 100-minute ticket rise to €2 instead of the current €1.50 price, with the daily ticket increasing from €7 to €9.30 and the two-day ticket from €12.50 to €16.70.

The monthly pass remains unchanged at €35 while there is a €10 discount on the yearly pass which drops to €240.

There has been talk of raising the price of tickets for Rome's public transport network for years, and the move has been averted several times with the injection of funds from the Lazio region.

Earlier this year the Italian government rejected an appeal to provide additional funding of €100 million for the city's public transport system and the cash-strapped ATAC.

It is yet to be seen whether the Lazio region will intervene again, as it did in 2022 and 2023, to avoid hitting commuters with a hike in the price of fares.

The last time bus and metro tickets increased in Rome was in 2012 when the price rose from €1 for 75 minutes to €1.50 for 100 minutes.

The renewed debate over increases in the price of tickets for Rome's buses, trams and subways comes as the city prepares for a huge influx of pilgrims and tourists for the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025.

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