Passengers’ rights and obligations
Documents, regulations and useful information for travelling on Start Romagna public transport services in the Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini areas.
This section presents the documents that describe the rights and obligations of passengers using local public transport services in the areas where Start Romagna operates, and indicates how to submit reports and complaints to the company and to the competent authorities.
Travel tickets: purchase and validation
To use the service, passengers must hold a valid travel ticket and ensure that it is validated correctly. Tickets can be purchased:
- on the ground at authorised sales outlets and vending machines;
- on board using the EMV StarTap contactless payment system;
- where available, from on-board vending machines (with a surcharge);
- via smartphone using the DropTicket, MooneyGo and Roger apps and the dedicated WhatsApp channels (where available).
The ticket must be validated as soon as you board. After validation, you should check that the stamping (date and time) is correct and, in the event of any error, immediately inform the driver. Tickets purchased from on-board vending machines do not require validation.
Season ticket holders must comply with the validity conditions of their pass and, where required, complete it by adding their personal details and customer card number and/or validate it on every boarding.
New QR-Code tickets
Ticket validation is performed by presenting the side of the ticket containing the QR Code to the optical reader located under the validator (green validator, which can also be used for credit card payments via the StarTap system).
The new system does not print on the ticket. Passengers can always check the status of their ticket by pressing the “i” button on the green validator and passing the ticket back under the reader to display all validity information.
On the Start Romagna website you can check the remaining validity of your ticket, the remaining journeys on a multi-trip ticket or the validity of a ticket even before starting your journey: go to the QR ticket check page and scan the QR Code or enter the ticket code.
Magnetic tickets in the Forlì and Cesena areas can be used until 30 June 2025 by customers who still have them, without needing to replace them. In the Rimini area they will be valid until 30 September 2025.
General rules on ticketing
- Buy your ticket on the ground or on board using a contactless card with no surcharge, or from automatic ticket machines where available (with any applicable surcharge).
- You can also purchase your ticket using one of the available smartphone apps.
- Board through the front door and show your travel ticket to the driver: the presence of passengers without a valid ticket on board will be reported to the company.
- Validate your ticket as soon as you board and immediately inform the driver if the validator is not working correctly.
Find out more about the new QR-Code tickets and all the rules on their use.
Ticketing rulesConditions of carriage
The Start Romagna Conditions of Carriage, valid for all areas where the company operates (Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini), set out the rules governing passengers’ rights and obligations, facilitating access to and use of the service.
Compliance with the rules, accurate and timely information and cooperation between customers and the company are essential to ensure safe and high-quality journeys. Below you can download the full document, the summary posted on board vehicles and the rules for folding bicycles and scooters.
Exercise of the right to strike
In accordance with Law no. 146 of 12 June 1990, minimum transport service is guaranteed during specific time bands.
- all journeys departing between 05:30 and 08:30;
- all journeys departing between 13:00 and 16:00.
For services operated under licence by the Province of Ravenna (routes 149–156), the guaranteed time bands are those for the Ravenna area: 05:30–08:30 and 12:00–15:00.
In the event of strike action, service is guaranteed in the following time bands, in accordance with current legislation, for a total of 6 hours:
- 1st band: 05:30–08:30;
- 2nd band: 12:00–15:00.
School and workers’ dedicated services that do not fall within the guaranteed time bands are also ensured. Urban services: all trips departing from their respective termini before the start of the strike are completed to the terminal stop (or until all passengers have alighted). From the start of strike action, stops are used only for alighting. When service resumes, all buses depart from the railway station (Stazione FS) and trips are run in both directions from the first useful stop according to the scheduled timetable. In the Lugo and Riolo Terme urban services, buses restart from their respective termini.
Coastal and extra-urban services: all trips departing from the terminus after the start of the guaranteed band and before its end are operated. Ferry service: service is interrupted and resumed at the Porto Corsini pier.
The following journeys are excluded from strike action:
- all journeys running between 06:00 and 09:00;
- all journeys running between 13:00 and 16:00.
Services dedicated to compulsory-school students are also excluded. All extra-urban journeys and all urban journeys departing within 30 minutes of the start of the strike are operated to their final terminus.
During major events, conferences and congresses in Rimini or its province, the special services organised for these events are excluded from strike action.
Service Charter
The Service Charter is the document through which Start Romagna undertakes to guarantee the quality standards required and adopted for public transport services, with the aim of ensuring customer satisfaction.
A specific Service Charter is available for each area, detailing commitments, quality standards and monitoring methods.
Complaints and reports
Start Romagna customers can submit reports and complaints on services provided in all operating areas at any time. Several channels are available to facilitate contact with the company, all managed by a dedicated customer care service.
Use the dedicated online form:
For any violations under Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 , and only in the cases provided for (discriminatory contractual conditions or fares, failure to comply with obligations regarding disabled persons or persons with reduced mobility, passenger information, handling of complaints, failure to communicate the final outcome of a complaint), a second-level complaint may be filed with the Italian Transport Regulation Authority (ART).
- send a complaint using the ART complaint form duly completed and accompanied by a valid identity document;
- send the form by registered mail with return receipt, by certified e-mail (PEC) to pec@pec.autorita-trasporti.it or by ordinary e-mail to reclami.bus@autorita-trasporti.it;
- in future, complaints may also be submitted via the ART telematic system (SITe), once operational.
Second-level complaints can only be submitted after a complaint has been sent to the transport operator and the response deadline has passed without a reply. Complaints must be filed within three months from the date on which the regular service was or should have been provided.
Administrative penalties
In this section you can consult the administrative penalties currently in force for passengers travelling without a valid ticket, as well as the regulations governing administrative sanctions.
If you wish to appeal against a penalty, you can use the dedicated appeal page provided by Start Romagna.
Need help with your travel rights?
For information on regulations, ticketing, penalties or to report any issues regarding Start Romagna services, our Customer Service is at your disposal.
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