Serious in Italy/ 11-year-old boy left standing in the snow by bus because he didn't have a ticket, walks 6 km alone in the cold

2026-01-30 18:16:13Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Serious in Italy/ 11-year-old boy left standing in the snow by bus because he

A serious incident has shocked public opinion in Italy. An 11-year-old boy was forced to walk about 6 kilometers, in sub-zero temperatures and snow, after being kicked off a bus because he did not have a 10-euro ticket.

The incident occurred in the Vodo di Cadore area (Belluno). The child, with two backpacks, was returning from school. The family explains that his use of the bus was sporadic and that at the beginning of the school year he had purchased tickets worth 2.50 euros, for which the ticket office had confirmed that they had no expiration date.

On Tuesday, after afternoon lessons, around 4:00 p.m., the child went to the bus stop with two classmates. The first bus passed by without stopping, while on the one at 4:40 p.m., the boy took a ticket and handed it to the driver. The driver asked him if he had 10 euros, the mandatory ticket for the Calalzo–Cortina line, and then let him off the bus.

As a result, the 11-year-old was forced to walk from San Vito to Vodo di Cadore in difficult weather conditions. According to his family, he returned home frozen and is still not feeling well.

“He didn’t have a cell phone,” explains his mother, Sole Vatalaro, “he arrived home suffering from hypothermia, with a temperature of 35 degrees and crying. The route from San Vito to Vodo is a bike path that we had used several times during the summer, so my son knew it. But it took him a long time; he arrived home after 6 p.m., more than an hour and a half later than usual. He was crying, scared and cold. He didn’t have a cell phone; I was very worried and when I saw him come back, it was a relief. On Wednesday, he stayed home and didn’t go to school because he wasn’t feeling well and was still shaken; today, Thursday, January 29, he came back. We are shocked. I called Dolomiti Bus immediately and a customer service representative was kind enough to listen to our story and report it to management. This morning, they contacted us and told us that an internal investigation had been launched immediately. "We hope the truth is revealed and action is taken. If there had been a fine, I would have paid it, but leaving such a small child standing in the snow, in the dusk, in the cold and on the street is inexcusable."

The child's grandmother, Chiara Balbinot, a lawyer from Padua, has filed a criminal complaint for abandonment of the minor, describing the incident as extremely serious and unacceptable.

The case has been officially reported in Belluno and is expected to be investigated by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the company has suspended the bus driver.


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