Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratesi

Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratesi (CAP), also known as Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratese or CAP Soc. Cooperativa, is an Italian multi-business cooperative founded in Prato on 15 March 1945. It was created on the initiative of Prato's then mayor Dino Saccenti and local entrepreneur Alfredo Menichetti to help restart the textile production system of the industrial district. Established as a production and labour cooperative, CAP grew through the 1950s and 1960s, expanding its membership to as many as 300 worker-members and extending its reach from the municipality of Prato to the present-day provinces of Prato and Florence. From the 1960s CAP entered tourism with touring coaches and its first travel agency, Cap Express. In the 1970s, contrary to the widespread municipalisation of local public transport (TPL) companies, it expanded by acquiring lines from other operators while preserving its character as a fully private cooperative. In the 1980s and 1990s it strengthened tourism by creating Cap Viaggi Srl, the first tour operator in Tuscany by size, and by acquiring the Hotel Raffaello in Florence. In the 1990s, after the TPL reform under Legislative Decree 422, CAP built alliances with other Tuscan public transport companies, co-founding the mixed public-private Li-nea spa in Florence in 1998 with Ataf Spa. From the late 1990s, in partnership with historic rival F.lli Lazzi Spa, it successfully bid in partial privatisations of former municipal companies CLAP (Lucca), CPT (Pisa), ATL (Livorno), Copit (Pistoia) and ATN (Carrara). From 2005, after the region decided to assign local public transport to a single operator for each of 14 lots, CAP participated in consortia including Autolinee Chianti Valdarno, Autolinee Mugello Valdisieve, CAP s.c.a.r.l. and Piùbus. In 2006 the company CTT srl was formed with equal capital between public and private partners (CAP and Lazzi on one side; CLAP, Copit, CPT and ATL on the other) to concentrate administrative, IT, purchasing and commercial services. This led to the full merger of those companies at the end of 2012, creating CTT Nord. In 2012 CAP also took part, with Busitalia and Autoguidovie, in the tender for the privatisation of Ataf, and it holds 25% of ATAF Gestioni Srl. From 1 November 2021 urban public transport management passed to the multinational RATP through its subsidiary Autolinee Toscane, winner of a tender called by the Region of Tuscany. After losing the public transport service to the new regional single operator, CAP refocused on its more market-oriented businesses. Today CAP counts over 130 active members, 3 travel agencies, 1 tour operator, 1 hotel, 11 workshops and several dozen buses for hire plus roadside assistance vehicles. Its tourism sector comprises the Capviaggi product brand (tour operator, travel agency, coach hire with driver and event organisation) and Cap Hotel, which manages the Hotel Raffaello in Florence. In fleet maintenance, CAP began investing in the early 2000s and can now handle around 800 buses in its 11 workshops across Tuscany, also entering roadside assistance through Over Tech Assistance with agreements with ACI and Autostrade. It continues to operate some public transport lines on behalf of the single operator and has extended its influence to other Tuscan provinces, while its real estate arm has developed projects such as Borgo Romito on the site of its old bus depot.

Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratese (CAP) was founded on 15 March 1945 in Prato on the initiative of the then mayor of Prato, Dino Saccenti, and the Prato entrepreneur Alfredo Menichetti, who aimed to restart the textile production system of the industrial district. The company was established as a production and labour cooperative and developed through the 1950s and 1960s, progressively widening its membership base to as many as 300 worker-members and extending its radius of action from the municipality of Prato to the present-day province of Prato and Florence. From the 1960s it began activity in the tourism sector with touring coaches and the birth of its first travel agency, Cap Express. During the 1970s, counter to the rampant municipalisation of local public transport (TPL) companies, CAP further widened its operating basin by acquiring lines from other operators and developing its network in the province of Prato, while jealously defending its character as a totally private cooperative company. In the 1980s and 1990s it strengthened its presence in tourism with the creation of the first tour operator in Tuscany by size, Cap Viaggi Srl, and with the purchase of the Hotel Raffaello in Florence. In the 1990s, after the start of the TPL reform with Legislative Decree 422, CAP began cultivating a series of alliances with other Tuscan public transport companies, within which in 1998 it gave life to the first mixed public-private capital company, Li-nea spa of Florence, in partnership with the Florentine public transport company Ataf Spa. From the late 1990s the cooperative, in partnership with historic rival F.lli Lazzi Spa, successfully participated in tenders for the partial privatisation of the former municipal companies CLAP of Lucca, CPT of Pisa, ATL of Livorno, Copit of Pistoia and ATN of Carrara. From 2005, following the region's decision to assign local public transport to a single operator for each of the 14 lots established, it participated in the following consortia: Autolinee Chianti Valdarno s.c.a.r.l., Autolinee Mugello Valdisieve s.c.a.r.l., CAP s.c.a.r.l. and Piùbus s.c.a.r.l. In 2006 the company CTT srl was constituted, with equal capital between public and private partners (CAP and Lazzi on one side and CLAP, Copit, CPT and ATL on the other), where administrative, IT, purchasing and commercial services were concentrated on behalf of the members. This experience became preparatory to the actual merger of the above-mentioned companies, realised at the end of 2012 with the birth of CTT Nord. In 2012 it participated together with Busitalia and Autoguidovie in the tender for the privatisation of Ataf. The company holds 25% of ATAF Gestioni Srl. From 1 November 2021 the management of urban public transport passed to the multinational RATP, through its subsidiary Autolinee Toscane, resulting as the winner of a previous tender called by the Region of Tuscany. Following the loss of the public transport service with the transition to the new regional single operator, CAP concentrated on its more market-oriented businesses. Today CAP counts over 130 active members, 3 travel agencies, 1 tour operator, 1 hotel, 11 workshops and several dozen buses for hire and roadside assistance vehicles. Its tourism sector consists of two business realities: the product brand Capviaggi and the company Cap Hotel. Under the Capviaggi brand are gathered all the activities of tour operator, travel agency, coach hire with driver and event organisation; the tour operator works solely on creating and selling its own travel catalogue, combining the historic shared bus travel service with new medium- and long-haul air experiences. Cap Hotel, instead, is the company that manages the Hotel Raffaello in Florence. In fleet maintenance, at the beginning of the 2000s, when all public transport companies began outsourcing the maintenance services of their fleets, CAP decided to invest in its own resources and make this sector an asset of its business. Thanks to commercial agreements with the main world manufacturers, CAP today can manage around 800 buses in its 11 workshops located in Tuscany. CAP has also launched into the roadside assistance sector through Over Tech Assistance, thanks also to agreements signed with ACI and Autostrade. In transport, CAP has begun to manage some public transport lines on behalf of the single operator and has extended its influence to other Tuscan provinces. In real estate, the last completed intervention is the so-called Borgo Romito, where it built and sold 4 lots of apartments on the site of the old bus depot, and where a further intervention is planned for the construction of the new company headquarters.

• 2021

  From 1 November urban public transport management passed to RATP via Autolinee Toscane; CAP refocused on market businesses.

• 2012

  Merger of companies created CTT Nord; CAP also participated in the Ataf privatisation tender with Busitalia and Autoguidovie.

• 2006

  CTT srl was constituted with equal public-private capital to concentrate administrative, IT, purchasing and commercial services.

• 2005

  Participated in consortia after the region assigned local public transport to single operators for 14 lots.

• 1998

  Co-founded Li-nea spa in Florence with Ataf Spa, the first mixed public-private capital company.

• 1980

  Created Cap Viaggi Srl, the first tour operator in Tuscany by size, and acquired Hotel Raffaello in Florence.

• 1970

  Expanded by acquiring lines from other operators while remaining a fully private cooperative.

• 1960

  Entered tourism with touring coaches and founded the first travel agency, Cap Express.

• 1945

  Founded on 15 March in Prato as a production and labour cooperative on the initiative of mayor Dino Saccenti and entrepreneur Alfredo Menichetti.

A fully private, multi-business Tuscan cooperative combining passenger transport heritage with tourism, fleet maintenance and real estate.

• Capviaggi

  Product brand grouping tour operator, travel agency, coach hire with driver and event organisation.

• Cap Hotel

  Company managing Hotel Raffaello in Florence.

• Fleet maintenance services

  Maintenance for around 800 buses across 11 workshops in Tuscany.

• Over Tech Assistance

  Roadside assistance service with agreements with ACI and Autostrade.

• Borgo Romito real estate

  Residential development on the site of the old bus depot.

1. 1Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratese – Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratesi – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3CAP official website – La Cooperativacapautolinee.it