From 12 October 2026, the urban line 16UB operated by Air Campania runs along Corso Garibaldi in Benevento from Monday to Friday. The service has brought buses back to the historic pedestrian axis and reopened a familiar local question: does better access help neighbourhood shops, or does it weaken the pedestrian character of the street?
Local broadcaster NTR24 described the return of the line with three stops and four weekday passages, and asked residents and shopkeepers whether the change is an opportunity for commerce or a risk for pedestrian use. The poll collects opinions; it is not a representative measure of transport demand or economic effect.
What is running, when, and where
The service runs four times per day, Monday to Friday, at 9:49, 11:49, 16:49 and 18:49.
The stops are located near via Gregorio VIII, Piazza Roma and Santa Sofia. The route runs from the Duomo area toward the Prefettura, under a limited exemption to the restricted-traffic-zone rules for the section concerned.
No verified figures are yet available on passengers carried, new visits to the centre, or changes in sales. It is also not yet documented whether the service will be confirmed, changed or withdrawn after the initial period.
Why the city is trying it
The stated aim is to make the historic centre easier to reach, including for people who have difficulty walking long distances, and to support local commercial activity by facilitating access to the area.
That rationale is reported by both NTR24 and Ottopagine, which presents the shuttle as a measure to help people reach the historic centre and its proximity shops. Whether it works will depend on use and on how frequented the area becomes; that assessment still has to be made.
Why it is contested
Corso Garibaldi is not an ordinary commercial street. The City of Benevento describes it as a place of extraordinary historic, urban and architectural value, within a context recognised as UNESCO World Heritage, and has adopted measures to protect its decorum and street-facing condition.
Against that background, the return of buses has revived discussion about pedestrian safety, protection of paving, and preservation of the street's pedestrian function. The research does not provide independent assessments of pedestrian-bus safety, nor documentation of concrete damage or risk to the historic paving from this service.
One alternative raised in the debate is a smaller, more frequent electric shuttle. No decision on that option is documented in the validated research.
What visitors should know
Travellers planning to walk Corso Garibaldi should expect four scheduled bus passages on weekdays at the listed times, with stops near via Gregorio VIII, Piazza Roma and Santa Sofia.
The service is authorised by the municipality and operates as line 16UB. People with limited mobility may find the listed times useful for planning, but the sources do not establish step-free access, waiting conditions, or connections beyond the three named stops.
How to read the poll
The NTR24 survey captures a real split in local feeling: access on one side, quiet and pedestrian priority on the other. Readers should treat it as an early snapshot of opinion, not as evidence that the bus has helped or harmed trade.
A grounded judgment will need what is still missing: counts of users, observation of pedestrian conditions, information on the state of the street surface, and a clear statement from the city on how the trial will be evaluated.
