MOTORBUSES IN ROME AND DISTRICT.
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The Road Motor Finds a Place in the City's Passenger Transport System, Despite a Comprehensive Network of Tramway Routes, A LTHOUGH the City of Rome has an eitensive municipally owned electric tramway system which covers 83 different routes, the motor omnibus has found a place in the passenger transport needs of this famous city on the Tiber. Some half-a-dozen services operate in the city itself or its immediate vicinity, and the new batterydriven electric buses which run from the Piazza de Popolo along the Corso Umberto are smooth and silent in operation and are well suited to this particular route, as the roadway is now laid with a concrete composition.
The average length of the city routes is about three kilometres and the services cover those districts which are not provided for by trams, although a certain amount of overlapping of both means of passenger transport is inevitable -with such a network of electric car services.
The buses employed, other than those of the electric type beforementioned, are practically all mounted on chassis from the renowned Milan factory of the Fiat Co.
As may be seen from the accompanying illustration, the bodywork of these buses is of a type rather alien to British practice, and somewhat favours a glorified trfuncar. Curtains are presided to keep out the sun in hot
weather, and there is an open smoking compartment at the front behind the driver's scat. The rear entrance has a vestibuled conductor's platform. Seating accommodation is generally provided for 25 to 30 persons.
Although passenger trailers are legal in Italy and are greatly used on the tramways, sometimes two being attached to one electric car, they are not in use on the city bus services, but are found on the long-distance crosscountry routes in various parts of the country.
In addition to the buses running in Rome itself, a number of services is run between Rome and various towns, the longest of these being to Terzone, a run of over eight hours' duration.
In all 15 different services centre on Rome, the distances covered varying from 15 or 20 kilometres up to over 96 kilometres, which is the run to Rieti, situated approximately midway between Rome and Terzone. These services are scheduled to be covered at average speeds varying from about 10 m.p.h. up to 18 m.p.h.
In many cases only one journey is made in each direction daily, whilst in others there are two, three or four trips bah ways. The fares charged usually equal about 1 lira (English equivalent 21a.) for about 4 kilometres.