A pilot application in public transport means in Athens will allow the use of bank cards and smartphones to board buses, trolley buses, the metro and the tram, in addition to tickets and passes.
With the signing of a contract between OASA and the contractor of the project, a member of the TERNA ENERGY Group, for the technological upgrade of the Automatic Fare Collection System, a new era begins for the transportation services provided to the public.
According to an announcement by OASA, the Athens Public Transport Organisation, the upgrade of the services will allow the use of bank cards and mobile devices for traveling on Public Transport under the authority of the Organisation (metro, tram, buses, trolleys) and provide the system with the ability to support MaaS (Mobility as a Service), to interface with applications of mobility partners, such as taxis, rental electric bikes, airlines and ferry companies, etc.
In particular, the alternative possibility of using a contactless bank card for every PTM boarding is a decisive step in upgrading the services of Athens Transport, with significant benefits in serving the passenger public.
Passengers, in addition to ATH.ENA Ticket or ATH.ENA Card, will be able to use a bank card, even if it is integrated, through an App, on their mobile phone.
Immediate benefits for the passenger
With the implementation of the use of bank cards for boarding PTMs, the passenger public will not need:
- To obtain a ticket through the issuing offices or issuing machines (AMEK).
- To know the available moving products in order to choose the appropriate one.
- To look for points of sale, in order to travel by PTMs.
The system will be able to analyze the travel data and the debit to the bank card will be proportional to the routes, choosing the optimal one.
The application is described as “extremely useful” for passengers who are not familiar with the Athens transportation system, such as visitors from other cities and tourists.
The first phase of the implementation will be applied to the vehicles of the Airport Express bus lines, until the end of March 2024, while all applications will be available to passengers until the end of the year 2024.
