Almost half of the buses no longer run on diesel: in 2024 the share of low-emission vehicles, therefore electric/hybrid or methane/LPG, rose to 48.4% of the total. This is an increase of 8.1 percentage points over the previous year and 16.8 over 2019. This is reported by an Istat report, which shows some important progress in the renewal of vehicles used for local public transport. Compared to 2023, in fact, electric and hybrid buses increased by 54.9%, while gas-powered ones saw a smaller increase, standing at 9.7 percent. The Institute’s data also indicate a strengthening of metro and trolleybus lines and an expansion of the cycle path network.
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Fleet renewal
In general, in 2024 there is a growth of 2.8 percent in the size of the bus fleet made available to citizens in provincial capital municipalities. In the South there is an increase of 7.9%, in the Northeast of 4.9%, while in other areas no significant changes are observed.
The overall share of low-emission buses increases in all areas, but with marked territorial differences: while in the Northeast provincial capitals it reaches 63.8%, it remains significantly below average in the Northwest (42.5%) and the South (39.5%). The aggregate value of metropolitan capitals, which stands at 47.5%, is in line with the national average but hides strong inequalities. The share of non-diesel buses exceeds 75% in Bologna and Bari and 50% in Venice, Rome, and Catania, while Genoa, Florence, and Reggio Calabria show values much lower than the average.
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Gas-powered buses, despite a smaller growth compared to hybrid and electric ones, remain higher in number. The former continue to constitute 29.9% of buses in service in provincial capitals (with peaks of 46.5% in the Northeast and 36.6% in the Center) while they stop at 18.4 percent of the total, concentrating especially in the Northwest (26.4%).
The share of Euro 6 buses remains substantially equivalent between North, Center, and South of the peninsula, where these vehicles represent respectively 61.7%, 59.1%, and 61.7% of the total. Despite new circulation restrictions scheduled from October 1, 2026, in the Po Valley regions, significant shares of Euro 5 vehicles, registered more than 11 years ago (26.5%), and even earlier classes, registered more than 16 years ago (12.5% overall in provincial capitals, and 22% in Southern cities), remain active. Overall, however, Euro 6 vehicles increased by 12.8% compared to the previous year, while Euro 5 decreased by 6.6% and even older ones by 15.8 percent.
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