Malcesine Suspends Shuttle Bus Service Amid City Traffic Concerns

The shuttle bus service has been suspended. Many Malcesine residents have probably wondered in recent days what happened to the (orange and modestly sized) bus that in previous months transported tourists from the Retelino area to the town center. The reason it’s no longer seen circulating is that the service has been suspended. This was announced by the mayor, Giuseppe Lombardi, who explained that during July and August, bus traffic in the town significantly decreases and the shuttle bus service is no longer as essential.

Reasons for suspension and issues encountered

This service was implemented to prevent the town’s entrance from becoming congested by coaches arriving daily, all dropping off tourists at the same point: the roundabout. With the introduction of a municipal transport means, efforts were made to force tourist coaches to park in a zone (Retelino) just outside Malcesine; tourists would then reach the town using the municipal transport.

However, after a month and a half of activity, problems arose, and even the head of the local police, Luigino Bresaola, acknowledged this: “This is a provisional choice. The urban traffic plan includes several solutions to address the issue of coaches at the town entrance. Various alternatives are being evaluated.”

The shuttle bus option was known to be less than ideal, but it served some purpose. “Initially,” Bresaola continued, “it was difficult to convince drivers to go to Retelino, they refused outright. Moreover, a single bus (with a capacity of 100 people) could not handle the workload required by the service, so it was definitely insufficient.”

Results and future solutions

The Merchants Association, which promoted the initiative, also had to realize that the service did not produce the desired results. Some tourists, instead of stopping at Retelino and taking another bus to get into town, simply chose not to stop, being passersby in Malcesine with only an hour available.

Municipal authorities are already studying alternative solutions, which might find approval as early as next year. The shuttle bus service will resume on September 1st and will operate until the end of the month.