Transportation bonus, the latest news: what’s going on

MILAN. There are many families waiting for the transport bonus. However, there is still no trace of the 60 euro incentive launched by the government for the purchase of a season ticket for public transport or rail transport, despite the specific interministerial implementing decree which was due to arrive on 14 February. The complaint comes today from Assoutenti, which urges the Government to take prompt action to respect the promises made to citizens and rattles off the numbers relating to the sector today.

According to the latest Istat data, every day in Italy 26.8 million Italians use means of transport to go to school or work, 45.4% of the resident population – analyzes Assoutenti – Of these 5.4 million use transport public: 1.2 million use the train, 1.9 million trams and buses, 807 thousand the metro and 1.5 million buses or coaches. The region where public transport is used the most to reach school or the workplace is Lombardy, 1,025,000 people a day, followed by Lazio, with 773,000 trips.

“In the face of these impressive numbers, nothing is yet known about the Transport Bonus which, although it is a small-amount incentive and reserved for citizens with an ISEE of less than 20 thousand euros, could represent an aid for the less well-off or large households – says the president Furio Truzzi – And even if the delay in the decree were to be compensated for by a longer duration of the discount, for a large family with a low income it is certainly not the same thing to be able to take advantage of it in the summer, with the schools closed and the children at home. We hope this issue will be resolved immediately by doubling the discount for the months of April and May. For the sake of concretely more sustainable mobility and for the credibility of politics» concludes Truzzi.

The process stopped
On February 28, La Stampa had asked for updates from the Ministry of Labour, responsible for the transport bonus. This is the answer: «The Decree – law n. 5 of 2023, currently undergoing conversion, confirms the so-called transport bonus for the year 2023 in order to give economic support to users of local and national public transport services due to the difficulties resulting from the impact of high energy costs on families.

The measure consists of a voucher to be used for the purchase of an annual, monthly or multi-month season ticket for local, regional and inter-regional public transport services or for national railway transport services.

The value of the voucher cannot exceed the amount of 60 euros and is recognized in favor of people who, in 2022, declared a personal income for IRPEF purposes not exceeding 20,000 euros.

The procedures for submitting applications for the issue of the voucher and for issuing the same are defined with a decree of the Minister of Labor and of soon to be adopted.