The public transport sector in Italy is undergoing an alarming crisis, with two main problems at the centre of attention: a shortage of drivers and the resources of the national transport fund. These factors threaten not only the efficiency but also the regularity of the service. Currently, the country needs around 5,000 drivers to meet the demand for public transport services, with critical shortages in large cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples, but also in several regions in the north and south. The ANAV (National Association of Italian Road Transport and Travellers) highlights a worrying figure: the average age of drivers is around 54, which means that many drivers are close to retirement. The shortage of young people ready to replace them exacerbates the situation. There are various reasons for this lack of interest among the young. On the one hand, working conditions are often perceived as unattractive. On the other hand, the costs for obtaining professional licences (D and CQCs) are high and can exceed 3,000 euros, making the profession less accessible. Moreover, the long time required to complete the training further discourages potential new drivers.

Parallel to this personnel crisis, another critical issue is emerging: the resources of the national transport fund. The trade associations, including AGENS, ANAV and ASSTRA, have expressed concern about the measure of 120 million euros in article 97 of the draft finance bill for 2025. Although this figure may seem a step in the right direction, it falls far short of requirements.

The associations stress that the value of the fund has seen a real-term decrease of approximately 800 million euros due to the inflation of recent years. Reductions in traffic revenues following the pandemic also exacerbated the situation further. The measure proposed by the government is only a marginal intervention rather than a structural one to address the deficit in the national fund. It is therefore essential that the value allocated for local public transport is significantly increased and made stable over time during parliamentary approval. This is crucial not only to alleviate the problems of the different regions, but also to address the renewal of the national collective bargaining agreement for public transport. The trade unions have already submitted economic demands estimated at an additional 900 million euros per year.