Megabus.com has announced that it is to introduce a major new network of services in Italy.
The new services were launched by Italy’s Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Riccardo Nencini, at an event in Florence.
The new megabus.com network will connect 13 locations in Italy, taking the total number of destinations on the company’s European network to almost 150. It will cover Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Verona, Padua, Siena, Genoa, Sarzana (La Spezia) and Pisa.
The Stagecoach-owned operator is expecting to create around 100 new jobs through the opening of new bases near Milan and in Florence.
Welcoming the new megabus.com network, Deputy Minister Nencini said: “megabus.com will connect Italian cities, from the north to the south, with low fares, giving students, workers and tourists the opportunity to visit our country.
“This is a new way of travelling for Italy and megabus.com’s investment and job creation in Italy has been a brave choice. Delivering the possibility for everybody to travel without constraints brings people more freedom and I really thank megabus.com for believing in this country.”
Tickets for the new services, which will run from June 24, 2015, are on sale now at the Italian language website www.megabus.com. For travel on the first five days of the new services (24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 June), megabus.com has confirmed that all tickets will be priced at €1.
A fleet of 23 Van Hool Astromega coaches – representing an investment of more than €11m – offer free WiFi, power sockets, air conditioning and a toilet. The coaches can carry up to 87 people, resulting in a low operational cost per passenger and keeping fares down.
As part of the latest expansion, megabus.com is creating around 45 jobs initially at a new operating base close to Bergamo, near Milan. Vehicles will be parked, cleaned and maintained at the base under a partnership with local company Autoservizi Locatelli. The company has also opened a second crew base in Florence, with offices in the city’s Santa Maria Novella area, where over 50 staff will be located. The majority of the new megabus.com employees are Italian nationals and are employed on permanent Italian contracts.
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “We are delighted to be investing in Italy, providing improved transport connections and a boost for the economy through scores of new jobs.
“Italy is a fantastic country with some of the most vibrant and popular cities in Europe. We are confident our low-fares and high quality travel experience will help deliver more affordable travel to people in Italy and bring even more tourists to the country.”
