"effective date" meaning for Italian bus tickets

Posted by kelsey.wonderlin on 06/29/17 03:04 AM

I booked a bus ticket from Siena to San Gimignano on "Siena Mobilita" website and it asked me to choose an effective date and time for my ticket. The options were 5 minutes apart, and surely a bus does not come every five minutes, but I'm having trouble viewing the bus schedule on their website. Google says there is a bus departing on that day at 9:35am, and I chose 9:00am as my effective start time. Does anyone know what this really means or how to know which "effective start time" to choose? Trying to book a bus ticket from San Gimignano to Florence for July 13, 2017 and want to make sure the ticket will be effective.

Alternatively, do people recommend buying a ticket at the bus station the day of instead?

Posted by Frank

Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

06/29/17 03:10 AM

23562 posts

General I buy tickets at the ticket office unless there is a deep discount for purchasing on line. If there isn't then why buy on line. My interpretation is that the ticket is valid after that time on that date. The ticket probably has time period when it is valid - not like a Regionale train ticket that is valid for five hours after it is time stamped.

Posted by kelsey.wonderlin OP

06/29/17 03:21 AM

2 posts

Hi Frank,

Thanks for such a quick reply!! Exactly right - it tells you AFTER you purchase that the ticket is effective for "9:00am at 10:40am" which i assume to mean 9 TO 10:40am. I guess though as long as you BOARD between that time frame, your ticket will work even if it "expires" while you are on the bus en route to the destination

I am actually booking for my parents who are in Italy right now with only mobile devices and having to last-minute book buses and trains because they were planning on renting a car but did not arrange for an international driver's license, so they cannot (unless someone knows a way around this??). I wanted to book ahead of time to make it less stressful for them since they are experiencing a lot of stress right now!

Posted by Frank

Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

06/29/17 03:30 AM

23562 posts

That sounds correct. I would still buy the tickets at a window. That is the easiest. Most ticket seller speak enough English to get by. Second, have then write a note where they want to go and the time. Show that to the ticket window. At this point do not buy any train tickets on line but remind them that IF they buy a Regionale train ticket at the window it must be validated - time stamp - in a little blue, yellow, green box near the back of the station or at the head of the platform. Watch the locals do it.

Posted by Frank

WPB, FL & Firenze

06/29/17 04:11 AM

3112 posts

I suspect the effective time of 9:00-10:40 means the validity of the ticket begins at 9:00 and expires at 10:40. However, that should not be problem as the 9:35 bus is scheduled to arrive in San Gimignano at 10:40. The tickets you purchased might not be valid for the next bus departing at 10:15, as tickets with a validity period usually require one to complete the trip within the period of validity.