Clean Cities’ new “Mind the Gap” report paints a clear picture: Italian local public transport is not keeping pace with that of major European cities.
Metropolises such as Prague, Madrid and Warsaw offer an availability of seat-km per capita that is up to eight times higher than many in central-southern Italy, highlighting a structural gap that is difficult to ignore.
A halved offer and insufficient infrastructure
According to the study, large Italian cities have only half the offer of their European counterparts and just a fifth of the kilometers of mass rapid transport – metro, trams and trolleybuses. A difference that is immediately reflected in usage levels: for every passenger in Naples, Palermo, Bari or Catania, there are eight using local public transport in Warsaw, Paris and Prague.
Reduced use and minimum satisfaction
The number of annual trips per capita tells the same story: the Italian cities of the central-north do not exceed 300 trips, while those of the central-south fall to 70 per year. The European median value instead stands at 410 passengers per capita, a sign of a much more attractive system. It is therefore not surprising that user satisfaction is among the lowest in Europe: while Vienna and Prague are close to 90%, cities such as Palermo, Naples and Rome collect much lower percentages.
The erosion of the National Transport Fund
At the basis of this scenario is also the progressive weakening of the National Transport Fund, which represents the main income for companies in the sector. Over the last five years, inflation has eroded over 4 billion euros, reducing the real value of financing and worsening the lack of resources. A cut that weighs especially on the most fragile areas, where local public transport often covers more than 50% of costs, forcing many citizens into forced car ownership, or dependence on private cars.
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