Officials approved a service, coded No 24/i, to take foreigners to an immigrant hostel and by-pass a working-class neighbourhood served by the existing 24 bus after disturbances between the two groups of passengers. "At the heart of the decision are the clashes between immigrants and residents," said Orazio Ciliberti, the centre-Left mayor of the agricultural town in Puglia province. He added, however, that immigrants would be free to travel on any bus they choose.