Public transport strikes leave passengers stranded amid staffing crisis

The bell rings again—Verdi has sounded the call for the next round of collective bargaining in public transport. With nationwide strikes dragging on, voices of discontent are growing louder, both within the sector and among the public. The criticism is sharp: unrealistic demands, stubbornness, and—above all—the strikers aren't just disrupting employers, but those who depend on public transit. In other words, people without cars, who can't simply switch to a bicycle.

For many, public transport is already a daily frustration. Take the welfare recipient who misses an official appointment because rural routes have been cut—and now faces sanctions. Or the wheelchair user who still can't board the bus, despite a 2022 law mandating full accessibility. The problem? A shortage of staff to make it happen. People aren't suffering from a few strike days—they're suffering from a system that fails them every single day.

That frustration is increasingly being taken out on overworked employees. To make the job appealing—both to current staff and potential new hires—the answer lies in better working conditions. That's why, four months into negotiations, unions are pushing for shorter weekly hours with full wage compensation. The logic is clear: better jobs attract more workers, which in turn strengthens climate-friendly public transport for all. And along the way, unions are setting a precedent for hard-to-strike sectors like healthcare—something to ponder while stuck in traffic.