Contactless ‘tap & pay’ system launched on Wednesday

The services provided to passengers on the Athens public transport system are entering a new digital era as of Wednesday, January 15, when the new contactless payment ‘tap2ride’ system becomes available on all means of public transport operated by the Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA).

The new system enables passengers to also pay their fare using a bank card or with their smartphone or smartwatch, in order to travel on buses, trolley buses, the metro and trams in the Greek capital. Contactless payments can be used in addition to the ATH.ENA tickets and ATH.ENA Card previously used by passengers.The system had been implemented on a pilot basis since April 2024 on Athens International Airport Express Bus lines (X93, X95, X96 and X97).

Passengers will thus have the option to tap in and out using their credit and debit cards directly at validation machines and ticket barriers, with the price of the fare charged to their accounts. With the introduction of the new system, Athens joins a list of European cities that include Madrid, Milan and London that give passengers the option to travel in a safe, easy and comfortable manner, contributing to the use of public transport.

“Public urban transport will play a crucial role in the development of smart cities and in facilitating the movement of users through tap & pay contactless payments, offering a safe and unobstructed experience to passengers and managers of transport systems seeking an easy, direct and safe access to these services,” OASA executives said.

OASA figures show rising use of the EMV – Tap & Pay application among passengers using the Express Bus lines, with more than 90,000 users, while it accounts for 9% of transactions on Express buses.The benefits of the new system for passengers include not having to buy a ticket beforehand to travel, not needing to know all the options in order to get the cheapest available fare (the system will charge passengers the cheapest fare based on their travel history), and not having to find a ticket sales point or wait in line for a ticket.

Contactless payment system presented on Wednesday

The new “tap2ride” system was presented at a special event on Wednesday at Syntagma metro station by Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras, Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Vassilis Economou, the general secretary for Transport Despina Paliarouta, the managing director of the Superfund Grigoris Dimitriadis, the managing directors of  Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA) Giorgos Spiliopoulos, the president of HST subsidiary of GEK Terna George Agrafiotis, the general director of Visa for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel Sevi Vassilieva and the general director of NBG Pay Christoforos Hatzopoulos. OASA, within the framework of a contract with Hellas Smart Ticket SA, a subsidiary of GEK TERNA, in collaboration with LG CNS and with the support of Visa and NBG Pay, developed the implementation of the contactless payments system for the Greek capital’s public transport system.

Source: pagenews.gr