That’s certainly good news! The ticket price for metro and urban train ISAP is to be decreased from €1.40 down to €1.20. The price decrease in these two public transport means will consequently lead to a single ticket for all transport means in Athens. The single ticket will be valid for 70 minutes and not 90 minutes as it is currently. Passengers will be able to use as many transport means as they wish for €1.20 only.
The price for monthly ticket will also go down from €45 to €30.
The single ticket for all public means at €1.20 was abolished in 2011 in the context of restructuring the finances of Athens Public Transport Organization (OASA). Passengers had (and still have) to pay €1.20 for bus, trolley buses and tram and €1.40 for metro, urban train ISAP and for using several public transport means.
At the same time bus routes that used to drive from several suburbs to downtown Athens were cut up to the outskirts of city’s center and passengers were enforced to buy the expensive ticket of 1.40 euro.
The price decreases of 14% are “partly thanks to the streamlining of the finances of the public transport companies.”
The price decrease is expected to be announced today by the Transport and Infrastructure Minister and will be valid as of September 2014.
UPDATE
After the first enthusiasm about the upcoming ticket price decreases in the morning, the well-known “miserable Greeks” found out that the prices increase and do not decrease. It needed just a thorough calculation to come behind the trick smartly sold by the Transportation Ministry.
How?
1) though shortening the ticket validation time from 90′ to 70′.
90 minutes cost €1.40 = 1minute cost €0,01555
70 minutes cost €1.20 = 1 minute cost €0,01714 ευρώ.
That is: ticket price increase at 10,22% when price and duration time are compared.
2) The monthly card of €20 for bus and trolley bus will be canceled through a general monthly ticket card of €30
A ride from A (Alimos) to B(Kifisia) via bus and urban train takes 90 minutes for currently €1,40. With the new price the passenger will have to buy a second ticket as his €1.20-ticket will be valid only 70 minutes. The second ticket would be definitely needed on weekends when bus schedules are not so often.
Skai TV reported this morning, that also “OASA will change its name in order to communicate a better service for the citizens.” OASA will be renamed into a Transport-something…
To tell you the truth I don’t care how the public transport company will be called and I don’t care either about how much money OASA will spend to change logos, etc.
PS Habemus primary surplus paid by the public transport passengers for four whole years. Yeah!
I am at a loss.
Assuming I boarded the bus in Alimos and at the expiry of the 70 minute period I am in the bus on my way to Kifissia. Do I have to get off the bus,buy a new ticket and board the next bus to kifissia to complete my trip?
can you help me with this?
if ticket controllers will get you your ticket will be no valid after 70′. Unless the new price includes speeding up of public transport means.