Metro workers in Athens will launch a 24-hour strike to protest the electronic ticket. The strike will affect the Metro Lines 2 and 3. The strike will start in the early morning Thursday, October 26th 2017. The rest of the Public Transport means in Athens will operate as scheduled.
The Metro is an essential part of the public transportation in Athens as several bus routes have stopped ending downtown due to the economic crisis.
In a statement, the Metro Workers Union, said the strike aims to protest the immediate implementation to electronic ticket which “is a requirement by its future buyers and had led workers to the brink of collapse.” Furthermore, they point out at the shortage of spare parts and inadequate maintenance of the network.
Workers of fixed-track public transport (metro, tram and urban train) have been assigned with the issue of the new electronic ticket cards. Problems in the system and insufficient preparation triggered endless queues of Athenians trying to get the new electronic cards.
The result is an endless war between the workers and the minister. And as usual it is the commuters paying the price.
The new electronic ticket system does not support the purchase of a single ticket or discount tickets. Many commuters are obliged to buy a package of at least 5.
Ticket cards need to be purchased at specific ticket selling points of the Metro, the Tram and urban Train ISAP.
Last Friday afternoon, the queues at the urban train main station in Piraeus but also Kallithea were endless. The situation remains the same also on Wednesday.
