Seeking info on bus from airport to Venice
 

My friends have just about settled on taking the bus rather than Aliguna water shuttle from Marco Polo Airport to Piazzale(sp)Roma. It appears that the bus fare would be included in the Venice Orange Card. Can anyone confirm that the fare is included? If it is not, can you advise what the one way fare is and also if there is a bus ticket window at the airport (I assume there is). This is their first trip to Venice but the bus scenario sounds very easy. Last year, my husband and I did the Aliguna transfer and I thought it took too long and we were exhaused by the time we did the walk-bridge-walk ad infinitum from Fondemente Nuova. The hotel is just one alley away from Ca'd'Oro so I thought the bus and vaporetto would be the best recommendation I could offer them. We'll be meeting them at our hotel but, lucky us, we'll be arriving via train from Florence so we've only the vaporetto to worry about. Thanks for whatever info you can offer.

Can't comment on Venice Orange Card. But the bus fare from Marco Polo to P. Roma is € 3 or 4. It takes about 20 minutes.

There are two buses that go from the airport to Piazzale Roma.

One is the ATVO bus. The Orange Card isn't good on the ATVO bus. It's non-stop to the airport and has a luggage compartment at the bottom of the bus.
www.atvo.it/eng/indexen.php

The other bus, the regular ACTV city bus does accept the Orange Card. It takes a few minutes longer than the other bus but runs more frequently. It doesn't have a luggage compartment, but it's not a problem to carry luggage onboard unless you're heavily laden.
www.actv.it/english/home.php

I don't know about the Orange Card, but the 72-hour vaporetto pass does cover the orange ACTV bus that goes to Piazzale Roma. I do think this is a lot shorter than the Aliguna based on a couple trip reports I've read in the last couple of days. It was very easy to do, no long walk like there is to get to the Aliguna. Note you have to pay cash at the airport for the vaporetto pass, no credit cards.

I believe there is another bus as well, a blue one, ATVO, which is not covered by the pass.

Well, obviously KT and I were posting at the same time! There is plenty of room for luggage on the ACTV bus, seats don't fill all the space.

We just did this last week and it was very easy. We departed the airport and found the blue ATVO bus headed for Venezia/Piazzale Roma just outside the ground transportation exit. There are signs over each stop and various busses, so just look for the stop that has Venezia/Piazzale Roma listed. We only had to wait about five minutes for the bus to show up.

We had been told we could buy a ticket onboard from the driver, but that was not the case. We had to buy them from the machine which was located right at the stop. Cost was 3 euro per person and locals were very helpful in assisiting us with how the machine worked.

As stated, there was plenty of room for luggage and there were only four other people besides us on the bus so there was plenty of room. The ride was a quick 20 minute journey. I much preferred this route after a long overnight flight. It was much quicker than if we had taken the Alilaguna boat.

Thanks, Statia. I've already forwarded your response to my friend. The blue bus looks like the definite way to go!

Margaret, both KT and I were pointing out that neither the Orange Card nor the 72-hour vaporetto pass cover the blue ATVO bus.

They only cover the orange ACTV bus, which leaves from right outside the airport door, very easy, plenty of room for your luggage.