Open letter from the Mayor of Milan

Dear fellow citizens,

I address all of you on the occasion of the introduction of the new Integrated Tariff System for public transport. This is great news. In recent years I have never stopped stating that transport is one of the cornerstones on which we must build the future of our city. Public transport that is as efficient and punctual as possible is the condition for having a Milan capable of growing, of respecting its commitments, of ensuring a cleaner environment for us and our children. However, to do this it is necessary that the transport system is not built in watertight compartments but represents an opportunity for the entire metropolitan area and beyond. And it is precisely from this perspective that the new system must be read. For the first time, 4,2 million inhabitants of Milan and 212 other Lombardy municipalities will be able to travel with the same ticket. Not only. The annual subscription will not change in price and we have produced a complex system of advantages reserved for those under 30, those who are more disadvantaged, those over 65 years of age, and families. And furthermore, all children and young people under 14 will have a special pass that will always allow them to travel for free on all public transport in our system. From today we therefore have one of the most powerful means at our disposal to actually improve the climate and the air we breathe in our city. The more we use public transport, the more we will save, the less we will pollute and the fewer cars will enter the city every day. This is a very important result which once again places our city among the most advanced experiences on the international scene. But, you ask, what about the increase in the ticket price? I certainly have no intention of hiding the fact that the ordinary ticket increases in price, going from 1,5 to 2 euros. However, allow me to add that with 2 euros you can now travel for 90 minutes on all means of transport not only in Milan but also in 21 other municipalities around our city, being able to stamp multiple times on the subway.

But this is not the point. I claim the right and also the duty of a mayor to look to the future of the city and to find the necessary means to continue to maintain Milan at the level reached today and also to improve it. Milan, in the wake of the work of the mayors who preceded me, with the Expo and with the vitality that we have been able to express, is experiencing a wonderful season. We could enjoy the compliments we are receiving, but we wouldn't be Milan. Looking ahead, aiming for a better, fairer and more environmentally friendly future: these are the objectives we have set ourselves and this is my way of understanding the job of mayor. Then move forward with the 2026 Olympics, the new great appointment of Milan and Italy with the world. Forward with urban developments that must continue to build a city that grows and is able to offer housing solutions to young people, the elderly and those who struggle. Forward with the creation of a welfare system capable of giving Milanese people, old and new, equal opportunities to live in the city. Forward with the care of the city, with the works of the Neighborhood Plan and with its desire for continuous dialogue with all citizens. Forward with attention to safety and control of those situations where illegality seeks to sink its shameful roots.

Forward, therefore, also with the new Tariff System designed to spread the use of public transport as a habitual and continuous practice, from the first years of life. In a couple of years the M4 will begin to tell millions of people a new story of our metro, then we will reach Monza and we will continue to study and invest in an increasingly integrated and ecologically advantageous transport system. Every additional euro we collect will translate, and this is my commitment, into the quality of our system. I ask you to participate in this transformation so that especially the younger ones understand and experience the quality of our system with pride. Let's invest today to build a city in which to live, work and raise children.

Milan, like the Milanese, never stops and proceeds in the search for new ways of life that embody and develop new social and environmental sensitivities. Our way of being contemporary is to do, to do well and concretely. Today with this new system we have done well. Let's continue like this.

Milan, July 15 2019