‘Don’t travel uncovered!’, Rugby Bergamo on the field with Atb and Teb to combat fare evasion

Bergamo. A clear message, to counter the now widespread phenomenon of tax evasion on buses, trams and funiculars, the one launched by Atb And Theb on the day of the presentation of the new ‘Don’t travel uncovered!’ campaign. The players of the Rugby Bergamopartner of the initiative.

The project, already available on all vehicles from Tuesday 18 June, also aims to raise awareness among all passengers through the sharing of values ​​which also embody the spirit of sport and in particular of rugby: rules, collaboration, respect, timing and sense. of belonging.

“We have taken this path because we have many values ​​in common – he underlines Liliana Donato, general director of Atb Mobilità -. Our mission is to repeal a campaign that captures the needs of citizens and at the same time imposes clearly written and disseminated rules. Ours is a service provided through the team, which is also made up of citizens. Paying for the ticket is a duty that we all must follow to make the service work as best as possible. We are carrying out this campaign which will be on board the vehicles and on all social media, because raising awareness is important.”

Every day, failure to pay for the trip entails a loss for the companies economically comparable to around 80 trips. The evasion percentage in 2023 was equal to 7.5% with an increase of 1.2% compared to 2022. Unfortunately, this figure is also increasing in the first months of 2024, which is why, since last spring, Atb and Teb have taken additional measures to ensure compliance with the rules and safety for all passengers. An example of this is the partnership signed with Holacheck, through the presence of specialized inspection personnel to support that within Atb on buses and on Teb’s T1 line. Suffice it to say that in the first months of activity, March, April and May, they imposed 2,100 fines which are added to the fines of Atb staff, which in the first months of the year amounted to approximately 4,800.

“The values ​​that are the basis of the rugby world – he underlines Gianni Scarfone, CEO of Teb – resemble what we wanted to implement in the relationship with citizens. Those who evade the ticket fail to maintain a relationship of loyalty, thus taking away resources intended to improve the service. We are aiming hard in these next few months thanks to the awareness campaign and greater widespread control, with the aim of reducing the phenomenon, which has recently increased”.

The creative idea, also reflected on all the social networks and profiles of the transport companies involved, is the basis of the Atb anti-evasion campaign, conceived by Partridge Communication, uses ironic language to deal with the topic of fare evasion on local public transport. The claim ‘Don’t travel uncovered!’ It is proposed in two ways, on a visual and textual level. The message represented by the image of the passenger in underwear, symbolizing the inadequacy of those traveling without paying for the ticket compared to passengers. The message is taken up in the text which explains the practical consequences of the negative consequences on the transport service. The invitation to obtain a valid travel ticket is emphasized by the rugby team who shows the ticket and represents all paying passengers who embody the values ​​of correctness and loyalty of civil life.

As Giulio Donati, president of Asd Bergamo Rugby 1950: “We feel the responsibility for all this; our position is clear and we protect the cultural aspect a lot, teaching discipline and respect. In our sport there are very specific rules and it is necessary to follow them. We also try to fill the gaps in schools and families to educate children.”