This guide to how to use and where to buy bus tickets in Rome is among the most useful you will find on this travel blog.
Being from Rome, I have used buses for many, many years, to get to university, to work, or to take a walk downtown.
In a city the size of Rome, public transportation is essential. With a metro line system that is still underdeveloped, it is the buses that will take you where you want to go in the city. You may use a bus to go from Trevi Fountain to Colosseum.
Buses in Rome very often face traffic problems, so I recommend you do as I do: always take them half an hour earlier than you would have planned.
Local’s guide to buying and using bus tickets in Rome
1. The BIT bus ticket: quick facts
The bus ticket is known in Rome as a “BIT” (pronounced beat).
A BIT costs €1.50 and allows you to ride on a bus for 100 minutes, after which, if you still want to ride, you will have to get another BIT. Consider the price will rise to €2 starting July 2024.
Also consider that for using the Rome Metro, the rules are a bit different.
Once you have your ticket and you get on a bus, remember to “validate” it. That means, to insert your ticket in a small machine inside the bus (there are usually two of them, one at the front and one at the back).
The machine will print the time and place of access to the vehicle and give you the ticket back, so you (and the conductor) will know when the 100 minutes are up. Well, now you are ready to enjoy the bus ride, one of the best ways to get around Rome.
MIND: Validating your ticket is mandatory, in case you don't, the ticket inspector can fine you as if you didn't have a ticket!
GOOD TO KNOW: Children up to the age of 10: travel free on Atac and Cotral buses. Children up to 4 years of age: travel free on Trenitalia vehicles.
2. Places where you can get bus tickets in Rome
I begin with the places to get hold of paper BIT tickets.
Whenever I want to go somewhere in Rome using transportation, I buy a paper ticket. This is because I don’t like to pull my card on public transportation, for reasons you can guess.
It is not possible to buy a paper-type ticket on buses.
Regarding the ways to buy a digital bus ticket, I will describe them in the next paragraph.
There are four types of places in Rome where you can buy bus tickets:
- Newsstands or shops that sell newspapers in Rome are called “edicola.” Here you can find both newspapers and magazines as well as books. These shops sell bus tickets of different types and also monthly passes for Rome’s public transportation.
- Shops that sell cigarettes and tobacco products. The sale of tobacco is a state monopoly in Italy. Throughout the city, there are thousands of shops specializing in the sale of tobacco products.
- Ticket vending machines It would be normal to think that there are ticket machines at every bus stop, but this is often not the case. You’ll find them only at bus terminals, like Termini Piazzale dei Cinquecento.
- Metro Stations At all metro stations, there are ticket machines that sell BIT tickets. You can buy them with coins, banknotes, or payment cards. Often I go down the stairs to the metro station, buy the ticket at the machines, and then go back up.
If you board the bus at any bus stop, it is a good idea to go to the stop with your ticket in hand.
TIP: Although Rome is a very safe city, there are many cases of pickpocketing on bus routes frequented by travelers. Be very careful with your personal belongings.
3. The new +Rome ticket card
At many metro stations and bus terminals, you will find red-colored machines selling the new reloadable + Rome tickets.
The tickets that these machines issue are not regular BITs, but rather a card that can be reloaded.
The card costs €0.50 and starts at €2 spend: by paying €2, you get a card that contains a 100-minute BIT (worth €1.50.)
If you buy a card with a minimum of 3 BIT tickets or more, the card is free (and thus you save €0.50.)
This method saves some paper and is more eco-friendly. However, if you intend to purchase only one ticket, the other methods I listed above apply.
4. “Tap & Go” – get digital tickets on the bus
Every bus features the Tap & Go is a system. It is the contactless system of the machines that we use to validate paper tickets.
You can place your debit/prepaid/credit card and purchase a 100-minute BIT. If you have a digitized card (smartphone, wearable, smartwatch), you can use that as well.
If you change buses, you will again have to “tap” your card on the contactless device to keep the system updated on your schedule and movements (you won’t be charged again unless the 100 minutes is up).
If a conductor comes up to the car to verify that passengers have tickets, you will need to show him the card with which you made the payment.
Finally, you can devote yourself to visiting historic landmarks in Rome without the worry of looking for tickets.
5. MooneyGo App
MooneyGo is an app that allows you to buy public transportation tickets, book and pay for a cab, and pay for parking throughout Italy.
After downloading the app, you need to register with your email and enter the city for which you want to buy tickets, in your case, Roma. You’ll receive notifications about your orders via email.
The app is only available in the Italian language and its usage not too “intuitive” (it took me some time to get it work.) So, I recommend you purchase your Rome bus tickets in any of the other modalities available.
Here’s a quick guide on how to use this App.
- After selecting public transportation in Rome you have to choose the type of bus ticket:
- BIT100 – valid for 100 minutes; BRM24 – valid for 24 hours (from the first time you stamp it); BRM48 – valid for 48 hours; BRM72 – valid for 72 hours
- Then you need to confirm and purchase the ticket by entering your card information.
- It may take up to 15 minutes to see the ticket you purchased in the “my tickets” area.
- Lastly, you need to “validate” your ticket as soon as you board the car through the app. From that moment, your ticket will be valid for 100 minutes.
6. Where to use the BIT
The BIT allows you to travel on:
- buses
- metro
- streetcars
- Trenitalia trains that travel within the municipality of Rome
- buses no. 720 and 520 traveling on the Rome-Ciampino airport route
- Cotral buses within the areas of the municipality of Rome
7. Types of BIT
The BIT that is worth 100 minutes and costs €1.50 is not the only option available. There are also:
- CIS: valid for 7 consecutive days after the first stamping.
- ROMA 24H: valid for 24 hours after the first stamping.
- ROMA 48H: valid for 48 hours from the first stamping.
- ROMA 72H: valid for 72 hours after the first stamping.
Wrap-up
In this guide to using and buying bus tickets in Rome, I have been as brief and comprehensive as possible.
I find the operation of public transportation in Rome to be somewhat confusing (like so many other things in my city) and slightly complicated to understand even for residents themselves, let alone travelers…
Don’t mull it over too much though, after all, it is important to use buses even for a few stretches, the historic center is very large and some attractions quite far apart.
Especially in the scorching summer sun, taking advantage of a ride is truly a relief.
So remember to buy your BIT in advance and always validate it when you board the buses. The rest will take care of itself.
9nL5fLXj_