From today, January 15, Athens’ urban transport is entering a new era, with more friendly and digital transport services for the public. The possibility of contactless payments with a bank card is now available for boarding all means of mass transport under the authority of OASA (buses, trolleys, metro, tram).
The new “tap2ride” service was presented, today, at a special event at Syntagma Metro station, by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Christos Staikourasthe Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, responsible for Transport, Mr. Vassilis Oikonomouthe General Secretary of Transport Ms Miss Paliaroutathe CEO of the Superfund, Mr. Grigoris D. Dimitriadisthe CEO of OASA Mr. George Spiliopoulosthe Chairman of the Board of Directors of HST SA, a subsidiary of GEK TERNA Group, Mr. George Agrafiotis, the General Manager of Visa for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel Ms Sevi Vassileva and the General Manager of NBG Pay Mr. Christoforos Hatzopoulos.
The alternative possibility of using – apart from ATH.ENA Ticket or ATH.ENA Card – and a bank card (debit, credit or prepaid), for travel by Mass Transport, is another important step in digitizing the services of the OASA group, for the benefit of the passenger public.
THE OASA, under contract with Hellas Smart Ticket Α.Ε., its subsidiary GEK TERNAin collaboration with LG CNS and with her support Visa and her NBG Paydeveloped the implementation of the contactless transaction system in the capital’s urban transport.
With the service tap2ride -which has been available since last April on the airport’s Express bus lines- the passengers they can now board all Athens Transport MMMs and pay for their ticket, swiping their bank card contactlessly over the validating machines on buses, trolleys, metros and trams.
Accordingly, they can use their bank card even if they are embedded, through someone App, on the mobile phone (smartphone) or on the smart watch (smartwatch) their. Payment cards issued by licensed institutions can also be used.
How does the new service work?
The upgraded equipment in the validation machines, “reads” the bank card and charges the value of the trips to the account of the passenger. The transportation products that will be included in the system from today will be the basic full tickets (city and airport).
The new system of contactless transactions for every boarding on MMMs, facilitates travel, as passengers do not have to look for ticket sales points, or wait in queues to buy tickets at ticket offices and AMEK (issuing machines). In addition, it is not necessary for passengers to know the transportation products in order to choose the appropriate one.
Passengers can use the new service for their simple journeys, with a daily maximum charge equal to the cost of the daily ticket, i.e. €4.10, regardless of the number of journeys.
They can also use their bank card for transfers to and from the Airport by bus Express with a fee of €5.5 and by Metro with a fee of €9.00.
An extremely useful feature, especially for passengers who are not familiar with the Athens transport system, such as occasional MMM users, visitors from other cities and tourists.
Public urban transport is being upgraded, with the aim of facilitating citizens’ everyday life. By adopting solutions and technologies such as tap2ride contactless payments, the passenger experience is improved while contributing to the development of smart cities.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr. Christos Staikouras, emphasized regarding the application of tap2ride in all MMMs of OASA jurisdiction: “The payment of fees via bank card in urban transport is one of the ten priorities we set in the Government’s program statements.
It is an important service which:
- modernize urban transport,
- promotes smart mobility,
- facilitates public transport passengers,
- encourages their use by citizens, but also by visitors to the capital,
- it limits travel costs and
- contributes to increasing the revenue of transport operators.
The new service is part of our overall plan to modernize public transport services. At the same time, their means and infrastructures are being upgraded.
Sure, time, persistence and great effort are still required to shape the conditions of sustainable urban mobility that we want and seek.
We are moving forward, with a plan and steady and methodical steps, to change a difficult situation that has been formed for many years, and to ensure – in the public transport system – infrastructure and means that will be at the service of citizens for many years to come. ».
The Deputy Minister of Transport Mr. Vasilis Economou, noted: “The introduction of contactless payments in the means of public transport in Athens (Buses, Trolleys, Metro, Tram) is an important step in the digital modernization of our city’s public transport and in upgrading the daily life of citizens. The new “Tap2Ride” service provides passengers with an easy, fast and safe way to travel, without the need for physical tickets or cash, since now with contactless payment via mobile or credit card, they will be able to move throughout the transport system. This system not only facilitates everyday citizens, but also enhances the experience of tourists, while promoting Athens as one of the modern smart cities of Europe.
The government and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport are committed to continuing with steady steps the upgrading of the public transport system, with the aim of better serving the citizens, their immediate satisfaction and strengthening the city’s sustainability. I am proud of this important development and we will continue to work tirelessly to offer citizens a better quality of life through modern, sustainable and easy-to-use transport services.”
On his part, Mr DiResponsible Advisor of the Superfund Mr. Grigoris D. Dimitriadis, stated: “For the Superfund it is a very important day as urban transport is our first priority. The implementation, as of today, of the innovative Tap2Ride service at Athens Communications, is another step towards improving the capital’s transportation. The goal of the Superfund in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to provide better, more frequent, more quality, more environmentally friendly transport is served by constantly adapting our services to the needs of the city, passengers and the environment”.
THE CEO of OASA, Mr. George Spiliopoulosemphasized in this regard: “Today is a landmark day for Athens’ urban transport. The full implementation of the contactless transaction system, which enables use of a bank card for each boarding of an MMM under the jurisdiction of OASA, constitutes a big step to improve the service of the passenger public. Both regular MMM users and city visitors/tourists. At the same time, it confirms the OASA Group’s commitment to its digital modernization. The utilization of the technological solution “contactless” using EMV bank cardsranks Athens Communications in the list of European metropolitan entities that implement “smart” city practices and promote sustainable urban mobility”.
Referring to the implementation of the project, Mr Chairman of the Board of Directors of HST SA, a subsidiary of GEK TERNA Group, Mr. George Agrafiotis, noted: “Today we present a project that upgrades the services provided to the citizens and improves the efficiency of the OASA, a project that was funded and successfully completed by GEK TERNA, in collaboration with our technology provider, LG CNS of Korea. In this project, a truly effective and reliable project assignment and management model was applied, without fragmentation of responsibilities and with clear responsibilities of the parties involved. A model that at GEK TERNA Group we believe should be a model for similar projects”.
The General Manager of Greece, Israel, Malta and Cyprus for Visa, κα Sevi Vassileva stated: “Today, with the assistance of Visa, a new era for urban mobility in Athens is being inaugurated. Leveraging our expertise from over 800 similar urban mobility projects worldwide, we are introducing a solution that enhances the passenger experience by making travel faster and easier, reducing operating costs by eliminating the need for paper tickets and promoting sustainable behaviours. Additionally, as Athens continues to grow as a popular year-round destination, tap2ride makes getting around easier for visitors to the city as well. We are proud to support the transformation of public transport in Athens by introducing digital payments, as we have done in many other European cities.”
O General Manager of NBG Pay, Mr. Christoforos Hatzopoulos, pointed out: “At NBG Pay, we believe that technological advances can make the difference and to improve the everyday life of all of us. We are special happy that with our know-how we were able to contribute to implementation of tap2ride. Through our collaboration with OASA
we actively contribute to the modernization of public transport while making contactless payments an easy, safe and fast experience for the citizens of Athens and its visitors. The tap2ride service speeds up the boarding process and promotes sustainable mobility in the city, making commuting more accessible for everyone. Without a doubt, this is the service that changes the data in urban transport, being another step towards the digital upgrade of urban
transport”.
Source: www.axianews.gr
