How much does it cost to get around Milan as a student? A single ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes. If you use public transport occasionally, easy. But if you live in Milan and move around practically every day between university, home, friends, the gym, and evenings out, buying tickets one at a time is not exactly the best move.
What passes does ATM offer? If you are under 27, the ATM Young pass costs:
- €22 per month
- €200 per year
It is valid on ATM's urban network, including the metro, buses, trams, and railway lines crossing Milan. In other words, the annual pass costs about €16.70 per month. So is it worth it? If you use public transport almost every day, yes: the annual pass is practically the first calculation to make when you arrive in Milan.
Alternatives to public transport?
Bike sharing
In Milan, you can find both fixed-station bicycles and bicycles you can pick up and leave almost wherever you want.
BikeMi is the station-based service: find a bicycle, take it, and return it to one of the hundreds of stations around the city. The service operates from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
If you would rather pick up and leave a bicycle in the spaces shown in the app, Dott, Lime, and RideMovi are available 24/7.
It is worthwhile when you need to make a short journey, want to avoid traffic and connections, or Milan is too beautiful that day to stay underground.
Watch out: you must still park the bicycle in permitted spaces.
E-scooter sharing
For short journeys, it is one of the most immediate alternatives: open the app, find the nearest vehicle, and set off.
Bird, Dott, and Lime operate in Milan. E-scooters can reach a maximum of 20 km/h, while in pedestrian areas the limit drops to 6 km/h. Helmets are compulsory, and you cannot leave scooters where they obstruct passage.
It is worthwhile when you need to cover a part of the city that is too long to walk but too short to wait for a bus.
Watch out for rain, cobblestones, and shopping bags. Milan gives no discounts. Scooter sharing
You can find free-floating services such as eCooltra, Pikyrent, RideMovi, and Scuter, all accessible through an app and available 24/7. They are electric scooters, and you pay according to use, without personally handling insurance, road tax, maintenance, or parking.
It is worthwhile when you need to cross the city and want to avoid traffic.
Watch out for driving-license, helmet, and road-rule requirements.
Car sharing
If you are in a group, have suitcases, or need to make a journey that is less convenient by public transport, a car can become interesting.
Car sharing in Milan mainly works on a free-floating basis: book the car in the app, use it, and end the rental within the service's designated area.
Free2move is the active operator. Always check the offer actually available in the app before starting the drive and unlocking the car.
It is worthwhile when there are several of you, you have luggage, or the route is particularly inconvenient by public transport.
Watch out: for one person alone, it is often not the cheapest solution.
Taxi
A taxi remains the simplest solution when you want to arrive directly at the door.
Unlike sharing apps, a taxi's price is determined by the meter, except on routes with fixed fares.
It is worthwhile when it is late, you have suitcases, you are in a group, or you simply need to arrive without doing calculations.
Watch out for the price: a normal ride can be much more expensive than public transport. Split among several people, however, the calculation changes. Uber
The available offer depends on the area and time. In the app, you can see the available options and a price estimate before booking.
It is worthwhile when you want to go directly from A to B, especially in the evening, with luggage, or when public transport would make you lose too much time.
Watch the price: it can change according to the time and area, so always check the quote before confirming.
Van pooling: the middle ground
This is one of the most interesting options for a student because it sits exactly between a bus and a taxi.
Wayla works with shared minivans: enter your destination in the app, book your seat, and the system builds the route by collecting other passengers along the way. The price is shown before booking and depends on the distance and number of passengers.
It is worthwhile when you want the convenience of a car but do not want to pay for an entire taxi ride.
Above all, it can make sense for evening journeys, when public transport becomes less convenient and you want to reach your destination without spending as much as you would on a taxi.
And then there are your feet
It sounds like a joke, but in Milan it is often the best choice.
If Maps tells you it is an 18-minute walk or 12 minutes of waiting, stops, and changing, you already know what to choose…
So, in the end, if you want to get around Milan without wasting money at random, keep these simple rules in mind:
Every day? ATM pass. End of story. Short trips? Bicycle or e-scooter: pick it up, go, arrive. Evening? Wayla, sharing, or a taxi, especially when public transport starts becoming less convenient. In a group? Taxi or car sharing: split among several people, it changes everything. In a hurry or want zero hassle? Taxi/Uber and go. Want to spend €0? Look down—exactly, your feet. Come on, sometimes it works; Milan is not so big after all.