Rome's public transport company Atac has committed to offering refunds for poor service, Italy's competition authority said on, ending an investigation of the publicly controlled body.
The regulator started investigating Atac in February for "possible unfair commercial practices" for allegedly not meeting quality standards during 2021-2023.
Atac failed to meet targets for punctuality, the functioning of escalators and lifts, and providing security guards at metro stations, among other issues, the regulator said at the time.
The investigation has been closed after Atac pledged to earmark more than €3 million for refunds to annual ticket holders, the regulator said.
Italy's competition authority also polices consumer rights.
Atac's Director General Paolo Aielli called the regulator's decisions "a stimulus, a further motivation to accelerate the process of change that Atac has undertaken in recent years."
Annual ticket holders for 2024 will receive €5 each, and an extra €5 will be given to holders of annual travel passes in any year between 2021 and 2023, the authority said.
The annual passes cost €250, excluding concessions.
Atac will also introduce a new mobile app offering partial refunds to users in the event of delays of more than 15 minutes in regular bus, tram or metro services.
Public transport in Rome is notoriously inefficient, but Atac told the regulator it had improved thanks to EU post-Covid funds and government funding to prepare for this year's Catholic Holy Year.
Improvements include new buses already in circulation and new trams to be revealed soon, Mr Aielli said.
As part of its commitments, Atac also pledged to hire more staff at metro stations and train existing personnel, with an annual investment of €2.6m, the authority said.
