Florence Bus Lines Rerouted

The tramway system here in Florence has been a work in progress for years. Currently, the city is preparing for the completion of Line 2 and 3, which means redesigning the bus system. Mainly, the rerouting will eliminate bus lines that follow the new tram routes, create junctions between the two, and finally, strengthen the frequency of buses in neighborhoods with limited tram access.

As the average Florentine already knows, line 2 of the tram will run between the Santa Maria Novella station to the Peretola airport, while Line 3 will connect the station and Careggi Hospital. That being said, major changes will affect bus lines that run on these existing routes.

The popular #22 will be eliminated. The #14 will also be dropped along the route that coincides with tram Line 3, running only from Varlungo to the station and will be one of the few remaining with a stop at Santa Maria Novella.  Bus line 8 will be shortened, as well. From Varlungo #8 will not continue past the Fortezza da Basso, with the new end of the line at Piazza Oriana Fallaci, just meters away from a Line 3 tram stop.

Bus #23 will also have a stop at the Santa Maria Novella station, but will be rerouted to continue farther past Sorgane to Bagno a Ripoli, in order to increase public transit access along routes without tram service. This line could potentially be extended to Nuovo Pignone and Firenze Nuova, but those changes, foreseen in the future, will depend on the volume of passengers coming in from Bagno a Ripoli.

Finally, the #29, #30, and #35 from Campi Bisenzio will be rerouted as well. Line 35 will be the only one of the group that continues to the Leopolda station, meeting up with Tram 1.  The #29 will end at Osmannoro and riders will then transfer to the tram at the Torre degli Agli stop, while the #30 will meet the tram on Viale Guidoni.

The lucky users of the  #6, #11, #17, or #1 will see no major rerouting as of now.

Revised bus lines in combination with the two new tram lines will hopefully reduce transit wait times and traffic in the city center, as well as provide more wide-spread access to public transit. (anna rosin)

To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.