| Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence Posted by grahame at 10:28, 1st March 2026 |     |
Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence, from Facebook
Taking the Bus or Tram in Florence? Please Don't Make These Mistakes.
Florence's public transport is run by Autolinee Toscane (AT). Buses and trams. One company, one system.
It's cheap, it works, and it can save you hours of walking in the heat. But every week, tourists get fined, miss their stop, or waste money — because nobody explained the rules before they got on.
I'm Italian. I've watched people argue with inspectors, buy the wrong ticket, and stand at bus stops without signaling — wondering why the bus drove past them.
Florence's public transport is run by Autolinee Toscane (AT). Buses and trams. One company, one system.
It's cheap, it works, and it can save you hours of walking in the heat. But every week, tourists get fined, miss their stop, or waste money — because nobody explained the rules before they got on.
I'm Italian. I've watched people argue with inspectors, buy the wrong ticket, and stand at bus stops without signaling — wondering why the bus drove past them.
The whole post goes into details of each point - here is a management summary - the headlines
1. Not Buying Your Ticket BEFORE You Get On
2. Forgetting to Validate Your Ticket
3. Not Knowing How Long Your Ticket Lasts
4. Not Signaling the Bus to Stop
5. Boarding from the Wrong Door
6. Thinking the Tram and the Bus Are Different Systems
7. Carrying Too Much Luggage
8. Assuming Children Always Ride Free
9. Ignoring Inspectors or Not Keeping Your Ticket
10. Not Using the Bus to Reach Places Tourists Walk To
Lots of lessons here ... helping overcome misunderstandings and making public transport easier to use - for tourists and locals alike!
Image is in Public Domain (?) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_-_Bus_line_D_of_ATAF_%28Breda,_no._1505%29.jpg
