An elderly man fainted while he was standing in a long queue at Piraeus trains station to obtain the new electronic card for the public transport in Athens. He was one of the hundreds of people who have been spending hours in line to walk in the new era of electronic ticket.
Elderly men and women, mothers with children, workers, have been waiting in queues in order to reach the counter, submit the necessary documents and obtain the desired card in order to be able to use the public transport mean s in Athens and Piraeus by beginning of November.
Exposed to the long waiting time, are those who need to use the electronic monthly cards as they have no other way but to obtain it at the selling points. According to media, the procedure of submitting the necessary documents and having the card issued last in the average 15-20 minutes pro client. Some media reported that people have been standing line 2 to 3 hours.
In spat with the workers at the fixed-track transport means, Minister of Transport, Christos Spirtzis, decided to shorten the transition time from paper to electronic ticket with the usual Greek effect: trouble for the commuters.
Despite assurances and 5-day deadline extension for the use of the old system, the system was not ready for the new era.
Monday morning, Minister Spirtzis apologized for the trouble, noting, however, that trouble is a normal phenomenon for such a transition.
Meanwhile, the purchase of a single ticket is still not available, neither is the discount ticket.
Nevertheless, everyday, in the last couple of days, we have been hearing of new arrangements with the newest being that tickets and cards will be charged also at kiosks and other nice things that make commuters’ living even more complicated.
Until then, there is just trouble.
You mean until then, there is free transport! I seriously doubt that they will do ticket checks if you cannot even buy a ticket!
just try to enter Metro + Urban train 😛
Ah, the wonders of modern technology…
What would we do without it?
not faint
@syrizee
“Impossible is not a Greek concept. If there’s a will, there’s a way. That old man should have figured out a way to get a ticket. He’s obviously trying to scam the system.”
That, my little friend, is what you will hear from those who are doing ticket checks even though it’s difficult and even impossible to actually buy a ticket. I seriously doubt you will hear them say: “we are not doing ticket checks because our fellow citizens cannot even buy a ticket!”
The Athens Marathon is approching there will be thousands of foreign visitors how are they to use the metro?
by purchasing a 1-day or 5-day cards at the automatic machines
No if you registered and paid to take part in the marathon you have a free transport pass for 5 days anyway so you don’t need to deal with Greek bureaucracy.
By the way, I wonder when those ticket scanners will allow you to pay with your contactless payment card, like it is in London! That will save the need for buying a ticket in the first place!