Buses from Palermo Punta Raisi Airport
For passengers arriving at Punta Raisi Airport, and for those who would like to travel to the airport, there are many bus transportation options. Traveling by bus is often considered to be the most cost effective form of transport, as well as fairly quick and comfortable. There are various buses that travel to and from Palermo Airport, and they are the Prestia e Comandè Bus, Segesta Bus, Sal Bus and Gallo Bus.
The most popular of these buses are the Prestia e Comandè Airport Buses, as they travel to the Central railway station (Stazione Centrale) in Palermo. There is one of these buses available every 30 minutes from the airport between the hours of 6:30 and 24:00. The airport buses travel via Belgio, Ausonia (Piazza A. De Gasperi), Croce Rossa, Libertà Politeama (angolo viale Lazio) and Emerico Amari (Porto). The final destination is the Central train station. Tickets cost approximately €5 for a one-way journey.
The Prestia e Comandè Airport Buses also travel to the airport from the Central train station. They depart from Via Balsamo, which is just off the main train station square. Buses can also be taken to the airport from Politeama, and this stop is at the corner of Via Libertà, in front of Benetton near the Politeama Palace Hotel. These buses travel between the times of 4:15 and 23:15. Buses from the Central station leave every 30 minutes between the hours of 5:00 and 23:00.
The Segesta Bus travels from Palermo Airport to Trapani. These buses leave the airport at 12:45, and also leave Trapani for the airport at 09:00. The Segesta Buses do not operate on Sundays and public holidays. For a one-way journey, the fare is approximately €6.40.
Sal Buses leave the airport at 09:45, 12:45 and 19:30. They travel to Agrigento and Porto Empedocle, for the ferry to Lampedusa and other areas. Traveling time to Agrigento is around 2 hrs 20 minutes, while to Porto Empedocle it is about 2 hrs 40 minutes. In the opposite directions, buses leave Porto Empedocle for the airport at 6:30, 9:30 and 14:30. From Agrigento they leave at 6:50, 9:50 and 14:50. Sal Buses do not operate on Sundays or holidays either.
Lastly, there are the Gallo Buses. These buses travel from the airport to Sciacca and Ribera. There is a Gallo Bus available from the airport at 14:55. Like the other buses, they do not operate on Sundays and public holidays.
Besides the buses mentioned above, there are other private shuttle vans available for passenger transportation. Some people may find these to be more comfortable and convenient than the more public buses.
In general, if you would like to travel by bus in Sicily, it is necessary to know that the ‘blue’ buses travel long distances, and the ‘orange’ buses travel locally. Bus tickets can be purchased at ticket vendors (biglietteria), or shops that sell newspapers and cigarettes also often sell bus tickets. It is important to note that your ticket must be cancelled once it has been used. Long distance tickets for the ‘blue’ buses can be cancelled by the driver, but tickets for the local ‘orange’ buses must be cancelled by a machine (also orange) near the entrance of the bus. This must be done immediately after boarding the bus, for if you are caught by a ‘bus ticket checker’ with a ticket that is not cancelled, you may have to pay an immediate fine of 50 euros.
Besides though from the usual rules and regulations, passengers from Punta Raisi Airport, as well as travelers in Sicily, should find the bus to be a reasonable and fairly simple means of transportation.