The Italian town where residents and immigrants travel on separate buses



A segregated bus route for immigrants is being introduced in an Italian town.

The move has been met with accusations of discrimination and revived the debate over the treatment of non-EU citizens in the country.

But Foggia's mayor said it was for the safety of the migrants, and that they would be free to travel on any service.



The town of Foggia, in Puglia, southern Italy: Local authorities have decided to start a separate bus service for immigrants

The 24/i bus service will take foreigners directly to an immigrant hostel, bypassing a working-class area served by the existing 24 bus.

Authorities say friction has been rising between residents of the Mezzanone neighbourhood and 800 or so migrants who live in the hostel after a series of robberies blamed on foreigners.

'At the heart of the decision are the clashes between immigrants and residents,' centre-left mayor Orazio Ciliberti was quoted as saying in La Repubblica newspaper.

'We are not talking about racism, but about providing a better service,' he added.

The news of the route, which starts on Monday, prompted comparisons with Apartheid-era South Africa and the segregated buses in the southern United States during the 1950s.

Habib Ben Sghaier, of immigrant association Asci, branded the move racist. 'This is not how to achieve integration,' he said.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition has recently introduced a raft of anti-immigrant legislation, which has boosted his popularity.