By Sarah Clark
Public transportation users in Athens can now use the Greek capital city’s new tap2ride service to pay for their fares with their contactless bank card, smartphone or smart watch.
The contactless payment system works across the entire Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) transportation network, including on buses, trolley buses, metro and trams.
The service has been in pilot testing since April 2024 on the express bus lines that serve Athens International Airport.
“Since the launch of the pilot application, more than 90,000 users have used the service and the average transaction rate is 9 per cent of all transactions carried out on Express vehicles,” OASA reports.
“The implementation of Tap & Pay across the entire network is another step in the evolutionary path of Attica’s public urban transport,” OASA CEO George Spiliopoulos explains.
“Based on the strategic transportation plan, we are moving with steady steps and targeted interventions towards the vision that public transport will be the first choice for the transportation of residents and visitors, contributing decisively to sustainable urban mobility with smart, green transportation and rationalization of traffic.”
