Big changes are coming to the Athens metro and buses. A paper ticket to MMM will soon become unnecessary, as a system is being introduced that will facilitate the movement of citizens and limit the “number of hares”.
A new fare system will come into force on public transport in Athens: on the one hand, to facilitate the movement of citizens, and on the other, to limit the phenomenon of fare evasion. Contactless payments, according to experts, will allow passengers to use public transport in the capital simply by using a bank card or smartphone.
With the system contactless transactions the user will not need to issue a ticket (ATH.ENA Ticket and ATH.ENA Card.) in the machines, but will only need to touch their bank card or mobile phone to the reader. The system will support payment transactions using wallets from mobile devices with NFC function and the corresponding application (for example, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc.) providing secure access.
The system will also support travel payment transactions using a bank card that has EMV technology for contactless transactions. The ATH.ENA ticket and card will not be cancelled, as they will continue to be offered as an alternative option to make life easier for people, especially the elderly, who are not familiar with new technologies.
Concerning advantages of the system, the passenger will save time while traveling, since he will not have to look for sales points. In addition, he will not need to understand the “tourism products” offered (2 or 5 trips, a day ticket, etc.) in order to choose the right one, since the system will be able to analyze data about the trip, and The debit from the bank card will be proportional to the routes, choosing the optimal one.
The measure is being introduced to limit the appearance of free riders on transport, since a sharp reduction in the use of paper tickets will lead to a limitation in the practice of… ticket sharing. That is, a phenomenon when a passenger who has bought a ticket transfers it to another so that he does not have to buy a new one. No matter how consensual this practice may be, it deprives transport management companies of income that could be used to improve the quality of services provided.
According to the announcement, the contactless transaction system will start with Express Airport bus lines vehiclesand to end of the year it will be applied on all public transport in Athens.
Finally, it will significantly reduce environmental pollution. As discovered OASAmillions of unused tickets are wasted, often in public places.
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