May 3, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

No paper tickets on the metro or buses. How will the fare be paid?


There are only a few months left before the introduction of a contactless payment system in the capital’s public transport.

A paper ticket used by the public for travel, canceledbecause the contactless transactions will be a top priority in the coming years. This means that citizens using public transport will not have to stand in line to buy a “traditional” paper ticket, since they will be able to make a “payment” at the machines by bank card or mobile phone.

The schedule for implementing the contactless transaction system was approved by the General Director OASA Group by Georgios Spiliopoulos. According to him, by the end of the year, the contactless transaction system will be introduced on airport buses and, according to the plan, by the spring of 2024 it is planned to be implemented everywhere.

Let us recall that the contactless transaction system was mentioned in the middle of last summer by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras, in the context of government policy statements. The official explained that the new system will allow passengers to be charged the cheapest available economy class package in accordance with OASA’s fare policy.

As for the principle of operation of the system, it is based on the Tap’n Pay service, which allows you to carry out contactless transactions by debiting funds from a bank account linked to a debit card. A Terminals with special contactless readers will be installed in transport.

In simple words, in order for a user to enter, for example, the subway, all they need to do is approach a special card acceptance terminal (NFC Reader) with their bank card or mobile phone.

It is worth noting that, according to the explanations of the Secretary General of Transport Yiannis Xifaras, paper tickets will not be permanently cancelled. Essentially he will remain an alternative option, but given the convenience of paying directly from a bank card and mobile phone, its use will drop sharply. It should be noted that Many older people may not have a mobile phone, and some smartphones do not support this application.

The official added that e-ticket will help fight free ridersbut the final blow to this phenomenon will be dealt by some other measures, including increased control.



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