I'm doing some checks for someone traveling in Italy, and will then recommend what they should search for online once I find where the answers might be available: 1) Any comments on safety of public transportation (buses, primarily), in the Biella-Milan, Italy area, for a teen-aged exchange student? It doesn't seem to be commonly used by any peer students...most seem to drive or get rides by car. 2) I could actually map out routes with Google Maps, but bus route info was outside Google's area of coverage for that. I'm not giving up yet on my cold-call web search, but if anyone could suggest the name/location of entity managing buses in the area, that would be a big help in getting a foothold on a good web search starting point. Thank you
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32325 posts
murray, My suggestion would be to use the trains whenever possible. Second class fare usually isn't too expensive, and I've seen many students travelling by train. Check the Trenitalia website for more detailed information (click the English tab at the top). Could you provide a bit more information on where the person is travelling to / from? You may find it helpful to have a look at This website. Cheers!
Posted by
OP
holland, mi, usa
2 posts
Biella to nearby small towns for now. I'm told buses are apparently available at about $4 round trip. Trains will be useful for longer trips, but of course only travel where there are tracks and stations. Initially the need I'm addressing is for an American exchange student who's been there about 2 months and feels like opportunities may be missed due to not knowing what options are available...impromptu situations like an invitation to an event after school, but a ride may or may not be available on short notice. I'm trying to 'pre-find' solutions and I'll then feed back some answers, hopefully encouraging the motivation, creativity and confidence to establish goals, find out what options are available, then request help to 'make it happen'. Right after making my initial post I did find public transportation info for Milan in English at About.com. It would also be a good idea to know what to do in an unexpected situation like a ride not showing up...one can't always depend on others. While I'm told by the student there ARE buses, requests for additional details about the schedule and locations often produce 'I don't know' or presumed negative potential (normal responses from a teenager). Apparently the student's peers don't ride public transportation, so I'm not sure if that's because they don't NEED to, or because it isn't desirable. I would assume buses are a better option than a taxi, if they even exist. Thanks