The tickets and subscriptions listed above can be purchased in a variety of ways, as shown in the table below.

Paper tickets and passes

Nowadays, paper tickets and passes are still very popular. They can be purchased at many points of sale:

• Tobacco shops
• Kiosks
• Tourist information points at airports
• ATAC counters
• Automatic machines in subway stations and at (some) bus stops

It’s important to know that it’s not possible to buy tickets or passes on board of buses and trams in Rome. If you’re going to use these two methods of transportation often, it’s convenient to purchase a pass or multiple one-way tickets in advance or to use one of the B+ apps mentioned below.

Paper tickets and passes must always be validated when entering metro stations or before boarding buses and trams. In some metro stations, they must also be validated when exiting.

If you have a pass that’s already activated, you don’t have to revalidate it every time you use the bus or tram. You just need to carry it with you in case there’s a ticket inspection.

Contactless payment with Tap&Go

The Tap&Go system allows you to pay for certain trips with your contactless bank card or mobile with a compatible payment app (such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, etc.).

When using Tap&Go, the system automatically calculates the cheapest option for you. For example, if you take four rides in 24 hours, you pay €6.00 (equivalent to four BIT tickets of €1.50). However, if you make five or more trips in the same 24-hour period, you pay only €7.00 (equivalent to a 24-hour pass).

At the beginning of your journey, you can swipe your bank card or mobile along the NFC reader. The system will charge a temporary amount of € 7.00 from your account and give you access. The next day, the number of journeys you have made will be verified, the temporary debit will be canceled and the final costs will be withdrawn from your account.

To pay with the Tap&Go system you must start your trip at any of the following stations:

• A subway station
• A station of the urban railroad line Roma-Lido
• A station of the urban railroad line Roma-Viterbo
• A terminal of the Termini-Giardinetti line (also known as Termini-Centocelle)

Once your journey has started, you can use all public transportation options and transfer to other lines for 100 minutes (under the same conditions as the BIT ticket).

You can also install the ATAC Tap&Go app to keep track of your trips and expenses. Using your mobile, scan the bank card you used to pay for your journeys to check that the rides match the costs.

Important: Use this app to transfer to COTRAL regional bus routes. This is because it’s the only way for the inspectors to verify that you have a valid ticket.

Download the Tap&Go app (only available for Android, in Italian).

Buying tickets via B+ apps

It’s possible to purchase tickets through apps from ATAC’s partner companies. This option can be useful if you want to buy tickets in advance. The only drawback is that not all apps are available in multiple languages.

Tickets or passes purchased through one of the B+ apps are virtually stored on your mobile. They can be activated at any time and are valid for all forms of public transportation.

To access a subway or train station with a ticket purchased through one of these apps, you must first open the app and then hold your mobile near the NFC reader or QR code reader at the access control.

If you’re going to use the bus or tram, all you have to do is activate your ticket via the app before boarding. This is because there is no special reader on board of these vehicles. If there is an inspection, you must show the app to the inspector, who can verify the ticket based on the data displayed on the screen.

This option may seem attractive at first glance, but in reality, it’s not always the best alternative for visitors on short stays in Rome. We believe that in most cases, the Tap&Go system is more convenient because of its simplicity.

Below is a list of available B+ apps, in case you want to try one:

• myCicero (available in English)
• TicketAppy
• Tabnet
• Nugo
• DropTicket

éRoma ticket

The physical éRoma card is plastic and can be ordered online. On it, you can then load your weekly, monthly, 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour passes.

Although at first sight, it seems like a good idea to buy this card, in practice it makes little sense. The card costs €3.00 and after purchase you’ll have to pick it up at an ATAC counter (where you can also buy paper tickets and passes).

Therefore, the purchase of an éRoma card yields quite a little. After all, the paper tickets are sturdy enough to use and they can be kept as souvenirs.

Therefore, we recommend opting for paper tickets, one of the B+ apps, or the Tap&Go system. Anyway, if you’re interested in the éRoma card you can find more information on the ATAC website .