Two new measures aim to improve mobility both within Sardinia and beyond the island. The Regional Government has approved the extension of free public transport to children under 14 while also allocating €10 million to encourage the launch of new air routes.
The two measures address different needs: reducing the cost of everyday travel for families and improving Sardinia's connections with the rest of Italy and international destinations.
Free bus travel for under-14s from 2027
The first measure concerns children and young teenagers.
Currently, free travel on local bus services is available to children under the age of six, subject to specific conditions. The Regional Government has now decided to extend the benefit to children up to the age of 14.
The stated objective is twofold: to provide financial support to families and encourage younger generations to use public transport more frequently for school, sports and other everyday activities.
The measure, however, will not take effect immediately.
The operational details must first be agreed with the companies that operate public transport services. The Region aims to introduce free travel from 1 January 2027.
€10 million to bring new flights to Sardinia
The second measure concerns air connectivity.
The Regional Government has decided to allocate an additional €10 million to the New Routes programme, which provides incentives to airlines launching new domestic or international services from the airports of Alghero, Cagliari and Olbia.
The funding will be split between €5 million in 2027 and a further €5 million in 2028.
The scheme provides three-year incentives that can cover up to 50% of airport costs incurred when launching new routes.
Airlines will be able to propose destinations
Compared with the first call for applications, the Regional Government intends to make the scheme more flexible.
There will no longer be a predetermined list of destinations from which airlines must choose. Instead, airlines will be able to propose routes they consider commercially viable.
There will also be multiple application windows throughout the year, alongside streamlined assessment procedures.
The first edition of the programme, launched in 2025, has already contributed to the introduction of seven new air routes.
Improving mobility within Sardinia and beyond
The two measures therefore share the same broad objective, despite addressing very different areas of transport.
On one side is local public transport, with the goal of allowing children under 14 to travel free of charge from 2027. On the other are Sardinia's airports, with new incentives designed to encourage airlines to launch additional routes to and from the island.
Details of the new destinations will only become clear once the next call for applications is launched and, crucially, airlines submit their proposals.
For bus travel, however, the key date is 1 January 2027: that is when the Regional Government aims to introduce the new free travel scheme.