ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s competition authority, which also polices consumer rights, said on Tuesday it was investigating Rome’s bus and metro company Atac over poor service in the past years.
The probe for “possible unfair commercial practices” focuses on Atac allegedly not meeting quality standards agreed with Rome covering 2021-2023, the authority said in a statement.
The company failed to meet targets for punctuality, the functioning of escalators and lifts, and providing security guards at metro stations, among other factors, the regulator said.
Under Italian law, breaches of consumer rights rules may lead to company fines ranging from 5,000 euros ($5,230) to 10 million euros.
Atac said its management was ready to provide all the information requested by the authority.
The company, which is owned by Rome’s municipality and offers its services via a contract, is “undergoing a major renovation of its assets and procedures, which has led to visible improvements throughout its operations”, it said in a statement.
Public transport in Rome is notoriously inefficient, and has been under additional pressure with this year’s Catholic Holy Year, which is expected to bring up to 32 million tourists to the so-called Eternal City.
To prepare for the event, the city has embarked on a major renovation and public works programme, which includes fresh investment on public transport.
Atac did not take “adequate corrective measures to address the repeated deficiencies, nor measures to adjust or partially refund the fares charged, given the potential disruptions to consumers,” the competition authority said.
In 2018, more than 20 people were hurt, mostly CSKA Moscow soccer fans, as an escalator broke down in a metro station in central Rome. In recent years, there have also been numerous Atac buses catching fire.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Kirsten Donovan)
