Naples Bus Drivers Protest Against Unsafe and Unclean Bus Stops

In Naples, bus drivers of the public transport are protesting. Parked cars and garbage at the stops prevent the buses from approaching and make it dangerous for passengers to get on and off: "From now on, we will not stop at those places." A note from the USB union signed by Marco Sansone of the regional executive and by Adolfo Vallini of the provincial executive was sent to the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, to the competent councilors, to the municipal police, and to the heads of Anm: "We once again report the daily difficulties that Anm bus drivers face, because they are hindered by wild parking and by the embarrassing delimitation of the stop areas... A situation that forces drivers to stop in the middle of the roadway, compromising the safety of passengers during boarding/disembarking from the buses, forced to slalom between illegally parked cars, and preventing users with motor disabilities from accessing the bus. To further aggravate the situation, there is the presence in front of the bus shelters of containers for the collection of separated waste, most of the time surrounded by material abandoned on the street and not collected, which de facto make the bus stop unsuitable from a hygienic-sanitary point of view, putting at risk the health of the many users waiting." The union representatives cite a stop (number 2606), on Viale Traiano, that in their opinion, poses an extreme risk, forcing them to request its immediate removal until safety conditions are restored. After asking the city administrative authorities to intervene to eliminate the problems at the stops, the unionists also present a list of the streets at greatest risk due to the incivility of citizens who park or leave waste at the stops: corso San Giovanni, via De Meis, via dell’Epomeo, via Stadera, via Nazionale delle Puglie, via Imbriani, via Pigna, via Simone Martini, via Consalvo, via Bernardo Cavallino, corso Garibaldi, via Foria. Vallini and Sansone of Usb conclude the letter with an opening to dialogue and planning: "We propose the establishment of specific technical tables for the realization of a project that we could call ‘safe stop’, aimed at ensuring maximum safety for drivers and travelers."