Metro, bus, streetcar and train in Rome: how to buy Atac tickets with your phone?
Staying a month and a half in Rome, we looked for the best option for our public transport tickets.
In Rome, public transportation is managed by the company ATAC.
The pricing is quite simple, there are 5 possibilities.
| Offer | Awards | To know |
| Unit ticket (BIT) | 1,50 € | Valid for 100 minutes. Connections are possible but it isn’t possible to get out and then re-enter the subway. |
| Day ticket | 7 € | Unlimited travel, valid until midnight on the day of first use. |
| 48h ticket | 12,50 € | Unlimited travel, valid until midnight the day after first use. |
| 72-hour ticket | 18 € | Unlimited travel, valid until midnight the day after the first use. |
| 7-day ticket | 24 € | Unlimited travel, valid until midnight on the seventh day of use. |
Then there is the personal monthly pass (35 €) or the “non-personal” monthly pass (which can be shared, 53 €).
As we only take public transport occasionally, we are only interested in single tickets
There are booklets of 10 single tickets but without discount.
Tickets can be bought in subway stations, tobacco shops, newsstands, … However, it isn’t possible to buy a ticket when getting on the bus (same period “out of covid”). You must therefore buy your ticket beforehand.
This is where buying tickets on a mobile application becomes interesting. No need for change, no need to look for a store.
There are several applications to buy tickets, I chose the myCicero application which was the one with the best marks.
You must first create an account and receive a confirmation SMS. Register your credit card to be able to buy your tickets quickly.
Then go to “My Trips” > “Buy tickets” > “ATAC – Roma”
You can then choose the ticket you want and the quantity. You can buy more than one if you wish because they aren’t active right away. It is you who will activate your ticket when you enter the bus, streetcar or metro.
Your tickets are then found in “My trips”. Click on “Go to the ticket” to display an available ticket.
You must then click on “Bus”, “Subway” or “Train” to activate the ticket and generate a QR Code.
On the bus, it isn’t necessary to validate your ticket.
Not having taken the subway yet, I didn’t have the opportunity to test but by activating the NFC, it is possible to badge your phone like a classic transport card.
