Area C Milano
Where and What is Area C?
Area C is an 8.2 square kilometer (3.2 square mile) Congestion Charge zone in the central Cerchia dei Bastioni area of the city of Milan with restricted vehicle access. To enter this area with a vehicle you have to pay a congestion charge by purchasing a special entrance ticket.
Click here to see a map of Area C.
How much do I have to pay?
For a regular ticket, valid for one day the payment is 5 euros. You can also buy tickets for multiple days for 30 euros or 60 euros.
How and where do I pay for the entrance ticket?
You can pay for the entrance ticket in parking meters, ATMs from the Milan Transport Company, ATMs of Intesa Sanpaolo, in garages, at tobacconists, over the phone, or online.
Here is how to pay for the entrance ticket online.
Payment Methods
Various payment methods are available. You can pay with a credit card when you pay online, on the phone, in parking meters and in Intesa Sanpaolo. You can pay with a debit card when you pay via Telepass for a vehicle that is registered in Italy. You can pay cash when you pay in parking meters and retailers. Pagobancomat can be used when you pay in Intesa Sanpaolo or in parking meters. You can also use Paypal when you pay online.
Do I have to purchase an entrance ticket if I don’t have a car?
You need an entrance ticket only if you plan to drive into the restricted area by car. If you’re planning to walk, no ticket is required. Additionally, if you plan to enter by public transportation, you do not need to purchase a ticket.
Do I have to activate the ticket?
Yes! Once purchased, you must activate your ticket.
Here is how to activate your ticket.
Do I have to pay each time I enter?
Your entrance ticket is good for one day only, but you can enter as many times as you want while your ticket is still valid.
How to enter?
After you’ve purchased and activated your ticket, you can enter Area C by 36 of 43 access points. Six are used exclusively for public transportation and one is used for special access permission, so you can choose one of the other 36 access points.
How are the restrictions enforced? Can’t I just drive through?
The restricted zone is monitored by cameras to make sure that no one enters the zone without a proper ticket.
What are Area C Operating Hours and Days?
Restrictions are only active on weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM, with the exception of Thursday. Thursday’s hours are 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM. On public holidays, the area is also open free of charge. The weekends (Saturday and Sunday) also offer access without a ticket.
Can all vehicles enter?
Currently, access is denied to Euro 0 petrol vehicles and to Euro 0, 1, 2, and 3 diesel vehicles. Vehicles with Euro 4 diesel without DPF is restricted, unless this restriction is personally waived. Any vehicle over the length of 7.5 meters is also restricted. These restrictions help keep traffic flowing properly and cut down on diesel emissions.
Does every car have to pay? Who can enter for free?
Entrance is free in any of the following cases:
- When accessing the area with electric vehicles, hybrid and biofuel vehicles, or scooters
- If you’re entering the area on public transportation
- If you’re traveling through the area to go to hospital (for first aid or life-threatening ailments)
- If you’re transporting someone with a disability
Do foreign cars have to pay too?
Yes, the rules apply to them too.
Do residents have to pay this fee?
If you live in Area C, you still have to pay the fee to access the area with a vehicle. However, ticket prices are lowered from 5 Euros to 2 Euros for entrance, and residents are allotted 40 free entrances a year.
Is this scheme permanent? When was it introduced?
Area C was introduced as an 18 month long test program after a referendum in June 2011 that determined Milano had extremely high levels of vehicle based pollution. After the 18 months, it was determined that the program was a success, though it was suspended between July 25th and September 17th, 2012 due to a protest. It was approved as a permanent program on March 27th, 2013.
What is the purpose of Area C?
There were three main reasons for the introduction of the scheme.
- The first goal was to reduce traffic jams that occurred daily in the central section of Milan. Traffic problems had long plagued the area, mostly caused by transportation of various goods in large trucks.
- Next, the special zone served to promote sustainable transport and public transport in a hope of reducing negative cultural and environmental impact.
- The third hope was that the existing levels of smog, which had become a concern for the 77,000 residents of the affected area and Milano as a whole, would be reduced.
With these restrictions, quality of life has risen. The number of accidents, noise caused by large trucks and vehicles, and uncontrolled parking has also fallen. The air is cleaner and pollution is less rampant.
But what about the fee money? Where does my money go?
Money is cycled back into the mobility infrastructures and is used for creating Bicycle lanes, pedestrian zones, and special speed zones.
Does it work?
Traffic congestion in Milano has decreased considerably after the introduction of Area C. On average, there has been a nearly 30 percent reduction in cars entering the restricted zone in the first half of 2015 compared to the same time frame in 2011. Most users only enter it a few times a year, with approximately 66 percent of vehicles entering it four times or less during an entire year. Additionally, just over 70 percent of residents of the area do not use up all of their free 40 tickets a year.