LATEST: How will Italy’s Friday public transport strike affect travel?

Public transport staff will take part in a nationwide eight-hour strike on Friday, September 16th, unions confirmed in a statement published on Tuesday.

At the time of writing it wasn’t yet clear how the strike would affect passengers, though significant delays or cancellations can’t be ruled out for all types of public transport. 

The strike’s starting time had not yet been disclosed on Tuesday.

Italian trade unions called the strike action in protest against “repeated violent physical attacks suffered by drivers, ticket inspectors and station masters […] from all over the country in the past few months”.

Unions slammed an “intolerable” failure of companies to protect staff from assault, saying further strikes could be expected if their demands were not met.

The upcoming strike will be the second public transport demonstration in the space of only two weeks. 

Last Friday, train staff participated in an eight-hour strike over the same issues, causing significant travel disruption between 9am and 5pm.

There have been numerous reports of physical attacks against public transport staff over the past few months. 

At the end of last month, in the province of Pavia (Lombardy), a bus driver was hospitalised after being assaulted by a young passenger who had been previously caught smoking on board.  

More recently, another bus driver, this time near Arezzo (Tuscany), was spat at after asking a passenger to put a muzzle on their dog.

Those planning to travel on Friday are advised to check the status of their journey with their public transport operator before setting off. 

You may be entitled to compensation or a refund should your scheduled trips be significantly delayed or cancelled.