BUS STRIKE IS A SIGN OF A CITY IN CRISIS

If you don't speak Italian, but would like to know some useful words, I suggest that you add the word sciopero (a strike) into your vocabulary. Once you start noticing this word, you will realise how often it appears, especially on the noticeboards on bus stops. Today was one such day as the city wide AMT bus network stopped for 4 hours.  

   As a family, we use the buses every day to go to the centre of town and we have not even thought about getting a car as the public transport system is pretty good. Buying a car and getting it registered is not quite as straight forward as one might assume and furthermore, finding a parking space in town can be a mission too. There is also the issue of where to keep the car overnight, if you cannot park in front of your street: buying a garage space for the car can be a very serious investment indeed. 

 Bus strikes are quite frequent in general. It is not unusual having to find alternative methods of transport
 at least once a month. 

  But there are clearly tough times ahead as far as public services are concerned. Today's strike was prompted by plans to privatise the AMT. Opionions for and against are running high.

A leaflet appealing for public support informed travellers that the municipality of Genoa is planning to privatise the public transport system and that this will mean increasing the prices of tickets and cuts in service. "People will be transported like cattle in the Third World", it predicts. 

Currently, it is very cheap to use the public transport as one bus ticket costs Euro 1.50 or Euro 1.60, if combined with bus and local train travel (bought from the tabaccheria).  It is valid for 100 minutes from the time it has been stamped. Unlimited changes of buses and trains are allowed during the 100 minute period.
  Not a bad deal, but obviously ticket prices are heavily subsidised. An Italian friend also made an interesting comment about why the AMT is in constant financial difficulties: the truth is that the ticket inspectors do catch quite a lot of people travelling without a ticket. Not wanting to pay for public services is almost a national sport, my friend said. It remains to be seen what will be the future of public transport in Genoa. In the meanwhile, we are not heading to the car show rooms. Not yet, anyway. 

Perhaps a scooter or a vespa? It is pretty quick to zip through the city with one of these, but being forced to breath petrol fumes does not appeal either.