Rome bus caught fire on same day as price hike in ticket fares.
An investigation is under way after a bus operated by Rome’s public transport company ATAC burst into flames in the Prenestino district of the capital on Tuesday morning.
There was nobody injured in the incident which occurred as the out-of-service hybrid vehicle was travelling along Via Prenestina, near Largo Telese, without passengers.
The 18-metre bus destroyed in the blaze was only one year old and was among the 110 Solaris hybrid buses that joined the ATAC fleet in 2024.
The fire also damaged the façade of a nearby building, damaging balconies and causing the building’s windows to explode, reports newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Autobus in fiamme su via Prenestina: nessuna persona coinvolta, danneggiato un palazzo vicino. I #vigilidelfuoco, intervenuti con 3 squadre, hanno spento l’#incendio ed evitato più gravi conseguenze#Roma #1luglio pic.twitter.com/TgzybVpWUr
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) July 1, 2025
Initial investigations suggest that the fire broke out on the vehicle’s roof, which houses the electronic components, however it is not excluded that the heat could have also triggered a possible short circuit.
Buses in Rome are known to catch fire, however cases of this happening are not as regular as in the past amid efforts by the city to modernise its fleet.
The phenomenon is known ironically by Romans as ‘Flambus’, with poor maintenance and ageing vehicles cited among the factors.
Tuesday’s bus fire occurred the same day as a price hike in ticket fares was introduced on Rome’s public transport network, in a move set to affect primarily tourists.
Photo Vigili del Fuoco
