Tourist Buses May be Banned from Rome’s Center

Tourist buses, including the ubiquitous Hop On, Hop Off tours, may no longer allowed in Rome’s dense city center.

Transit Minister Linda Meleo put forth a plan that would charge large buses and coaches a fee within city limits and eliminate them altogether from the city center. They’d be prohibited from dropping off tourists at top sites like the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

The plan aims to reduce traffic in the city center, which leads to significant congestion. The plan would not apply to commuter buses.

The plan was voted on in December, and as of this writing, is expected to pass. If passed, the rules will take effect in January 2018 at the earliest.

Other major tourist centers are limiting visitor numbers: Italy’s Cinque Terre restricted visitor numbers and Santorini, the popular Greek island, is restricting cruise passenger numbers. Norway is discussing making certain places off limits, and its scenic Lofoten Islands are working on dealing with the recent crush of visitors to the archipelago’s small towns.