Buses in Rome

I checked Rick's Italy book, and for Rome he says the TIs usually don't have bus maps, but they are printed on the inside of "Evento" magazines which are free at TIs and hotels. Or, he says you can buy a bus map from tobacco shops, which is where we bought tickets the one time we used them in Rome.

Hi. I'm in Rome now. I've had great luck just typing "How do I get from xxx to xxx" in Google. It pops up an answer, with various options. But make certain you validate your tickets on the machine on the bus right away. I was on a bus yesterday and an inspector checked everyone. It's a $50 euro fine to have an unvalidated ticket. Enjoy!

I have ridden the #64 bus numerous times the past 3 summers. I know it is the "pickpocket" express but sometimes it is the bus that is convenient. I have hung on to my purse. It can get sardine packed and I had to get off because it was too crowded. I found a map that has buses indicated on it along with the typical sight seeing places.

Most news stands have a bus routes map. The 64 is okay if you keep your hands on your purse, or if you can grab a seat (easiest to do if you get on at Termini).

sarah,

I've ridden the #64 Bus many times in very crowded conditions, and so far never had any issues despite the fact that I was carrying a large and expensive camera in the open. The #40 Bus also has a bit of a reputation and I haven't had any problems with that either.

My usual practice in Rome is to buy either a B.I.G. ticket (one day, expires at midnight, ~€6) or a B.T.I. ticket (3 days, expires at midnight on the last day, ~€16.50), depending on the circumstances of the trip. Those tickets only have to be validated prior to the first use, and can be used on Buses, Metro, Trams etc. within the city. As I recall, on my last trip I bought the tickets at a Tabacchi or news stand just outside Termini.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/thieves-on-rome-buses

Ken, it looks like the BTI ticket is now called Rome 72Hh, and the old BTI was discontinued in April?

http://www.atac.roma.it/page.asp?p=229&i=14

They have the BIT (good for 100 minutes: can change buses within that time but it's good only for 1 metro ride), and the 24h, 48h, 72h and 7-day passes.

The new 72h pass is good for 72 hours from the time of validation versus expiring at midnight on the third day after validation. This means that if you validate it, say, at 10:00 on a Monday, it'll expire at 10:00 on Thursday.

Sarah,

Rome bus map...http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=383

for more info read...http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/bus

Where is your apt?

Kathy,

Thanks for the note. I checked two different websites before I posted earlier, and they both had the BIG/BTI tickets listed. It appears that they've changed the name of the tickets, but the features of each version are basically the same.

This appears to be the most current information.....

• BIT is the standard ticket for one Metro ride (with train changes, if necessary), one commuter-train ride, or 100 minutes on public buses. It costs €1,50.

• Roma 24H is a 1-day ticket. It's valid for 24 hours of unlimited travel on the Metrebus network. The price is €7 (this would be the former B.I.G. ticket).

• Roma 48H is a 2-day ticket. It's valid for 48 hours from the time you first use it. The price is €12,50.

• Roma 72H is a 3-day or 72-hour ticket. The price is €18 (this would be the former B.T.I. ticket).

• CIS is a a 7-day ticket. It's valid for one week from the time of stamping. The price is €24

Ken, the difference I noticed was that the old BTI expired at midnight of the third day after validating whereas the new 72h ticket is just that: 72 hours from validation.

So a tourist with the old BTI validated, say, at noon on Monday would have an expired ticket by midnight on Wed. With the new 72h, the ticket wouldn't expire until noon on Thursday. In a way, it can allow for getting a bit more good out of the thing if having to start one's sightseeing midday rather than first thing in the morning.

This is probably info that's more useful to those of us who were used to the old midnight-expiration system but worth the mention? :O)

Kathy,

Yes, the main difference now seems to be that they provide a full 24 or 72 hours (or whatever), rather than cutting off at midnight.