Electronic payment for all OASA cards is introduced

The Organization of the Urban Public Transport of Athens (OASA) announced the launch of a new website, where there was an option to replenish anonymous (paper) tickets and personal cards for public transport.

With the aim of improving passenger service and increasing revenue, OASA (Organization of Urban Public Transport of Athens) is entering the digital age by offering enhanced online ticketing options.

Through the new OASA website, it will be possible to pay for travel on multiple routes with just a few clicks, as the personalized card option has been extended to impersonal (paper) cards.

The aim of the changes is to reduce waiting times at ticket vending machines and to make it possible to purchase public transport tickets without using cash. This allows, in the current situation with the pandemic, to avoid unnecessary contacts and standing in queues that are formed at the cash registers. At the same time, remote access passengers who do not have physical ticket offices have direct access to tickets. The digitization of the ticketing process has been a goal for OASA over the past years, and planning has envisioned the final abolition of most physical ticket offices. Thus, now passengers who have a personal or anonymous ATH.ENA card at their disposal will be able to replenish it by “filling in” routes from home – from a computer or even their mobile phone.

Until now, the possibility of buying tickets online has only been for the holders of personalized cards. This service is now also available for anonymous paper tickets, which can be recharged from the website and from mobile phones using NFC technology. The site offers the option of purchasing all anonymous tickets for up to 50 euros.

The cardholder will be able to check the card, as well as its transaction history, to find out when a top-up is required. Visitors to the new OASA website can be informed about e-tickets (pick-up points, top-ups, FAQs, prices, tips, etc.), can use the digital cards available to find the nearest ticket office, and receive a personalized ticket. card or buy an anonymous ticket and top up it.

The period of the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on transport operators’ finances due to travel restrictions. The ability to charge digital cards is expected to increase revenues for OASA, which is subsidized by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in the amount of 2.4 million euros for OSY (buses and trolleybuses). It is noted that the road transport operator (buses and trolleybuses) has already allocated a grant of 93.5 million euros for 2021 to cover the total annual operating deficit, 6.9 million euros to increase the payroll of newly hired personnel, as well as 2.4 million euros for the needs of the pandemic.

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