Rome’s public transport gets more expensive for tourists

Starting July 1st, 2025, visitors to Rome will have noticed that some categories of public transport tickets have increased in price, while single-ride tickets have remained unchanged: if you’re planning a trip to the Eternal City, you’ll want to factor in some additional transportation costs.

Public transport tickets: what’s changed

The good news for day-trippers and locals? Single-ride tickets remain at €1.50 – one of the lowest rates in Europe. The Italian government allocated an additional €10 million to keep these basic fares affordable, despite rising operational costs for ATAC, Rome’s public transport operator.

However, the multi-day passes favored by tourists have seen substantial increases:

• 24-hour pass: €7.00 → €8.50 (+21%)
• 48-hour pass: €12.50 → €15.00 (+20%)
• 72-hour pass: €18.00 → €22.00 (+22%)
• Weekly pass (CIS 7 giorni): €24.00 → €29.00 (+21%)

Why these increases?

The Lazio Region, which oversees public transport pricing, faced a difficult balancing act. Rising service costs for ATAC meant that even with additional government funding, maintaining all transport services required new revenue sources. Rather than raising single-ride fares, officials chose to target those passes that are primarily purchased by visitors.

Regional passes also affected

The increases extend beyond Rome’s city limits and don’t just target tourists. The Metrebus Lazio passes, which provide regional travel throughout the Lazio region and are used mainly by office workers commuting into the city, have also seen price adjustments:

BIRG (Daily Regional Integrated Tickets) – priced by zone:

• 1 Zone: €3.30 → €4.00
• 2 Zones: €6.00 → €7.20
• 3 Zones: €8.00 → €9.50
• 4 Zones: €9.30 → €11.50
• 5 Zones: €12.00 → €14.00
• 6-7 Zones: €14.00 → €16.50

The pricing structure also affects 3-day regional tourist passes (BTR) and weekly regional integrated passes (CIRS), with costs varying by the number of zones traveled.

Important transition period

Travelers should note that existing tickets (whether paper, electronic, or digital) purchased at the old prices will remain valid until October 31st, 2025. Starting November 1st, 2025, only the new higher-priced tickets will be available for purchase and use.

This transition period gives tourists and frequent visitors time to use up any tickets they may have already purchased, but also means that the pricing changes will be fully implemented by the busy winter holiday season.

Looking ahead: Resident vs. tourist pricing

Perhaps most significantly, the Lazio Region announced plans to monitor usage patterns through 2025, with the goal of implementing a differentiated pricing system by 2026. This would create separate fare structures for residents versus non-residents – a model already used in some other European cities.