Skyrocketing transport fares, Codacons slams Trenitalia and Alitalia

With the lockdown eased, Phase 2 begins: for those who are able, and need to, reach their homes, residences, or other places of residence, travel within Italy can resume starting May 4th. But after just two days of travel, numerous complaints have been received by Codacons , pointing to increases in train and plane ticket prices, some as high as 300% , primarily for travel from the north to the south of Italy. For example, a whopping €129 is charged for the Milan-Rome train journey, and up to three times as much for the plane journey. Initial data collected by Codacons suggests that those wishing to travel within the country, as authorized by the new government decree, will have to budget for significant costs to secure a ticket. Unfortunately, as a result of the decree, available seats on trains and planes are limited, as safety regulations regarding social distancing must be observed and sanitization services must be paid for. " There are still very few seats available on trains and planes ," explains Codacons, " and for those that can be purchased, the prices are sometimes astronomical: to fly from Milan to Lamezia Terme, the first available flight is Sunday, May 10, and a seat on board can cost as much as 415 euros. For the Alitalia Rome-Milan flight on May 6, the ticket price reaches 375 euros." Things aren't much better on trains: a ticket for the Milan-Rome Frecciarossa costs €129 (departing May 6), while a train ride from Milan to Naples on Saturday, May 9, costs a whopping €262. " The risk is that airlines and railway companies will increase ticket prices to comply with social distancing regulations, which will result in trains and planes departing with fewer passengers, reducing operator revenues," says President Carlo Rienzi . "It's unacceptable that Covid-related restrictions fall directly on passengers' pockets, and ticket prices during this emergency period should be regulated and not tied to demand, while the number of planes and trains in circulation should be doubled. For this reason , we are filing a complaint today with the Antitrust Authority, ENAC, and the Ministry of Transport, requesting that they open an investigation into transport tariffs in Phase 2. " Given this, the state should do more to support public transportation, discouraging the use of more polluting means of transport, such as motor vehicles in general. But " allowing companies to freely raise fares in an attempt to recoup their losses is a losing proposition from the start and will only worsen the situation. Prices must be lowered further if trains and planes are to be relaunched, " Rienzi concludes. What awaits us in the coming months is unknown. Since we cannot make any assumptions about vacations, it is impossible to predict the fares that will be applied not only to planes and trains, but also to ferries, buses, and other medium- to long-distance transportation. If we then factor in the expected transportation prices at the vacation destination, for access to beaches and/or places of interest in compliance with social distancing regulations, we certainly need to keep our eyes peeled and carefully consider the entire range of possibilities.