Athens Mass Transit System

The Athens Mass Transit System is the largest mass transit system of Greece. The system is run by the OASA S.A. organisation and serves Athens Urban Area and the Athens Metropolitan Area (most of the Region of Attica without the island section).

Companies

As of July 2011, the Athens Mass Transit System consists of:

* OSY S.A. ( el, Οδικές Συγκοινωνίες Α.Ε. (abbr. ΟΣΥ), lit=Road Transit S.A.)
** Βus network (internal combustion engine buses and trolleybuses).
* STASY S.A. ( el, Σταθερές Συγκοινωνίες Α.Ε. (abbr. ΣΤΑΣΥ), lit=Fixed Transit S.A.)
** The Athens Tram system
** The Athens Metro with 3 lines.
* Hellenic Train S.A.
** The Athens Suburban Railway, using Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) lines, operated by Hellenic Train S.A. under the ''Proastiakos'' brand. The section between Piraeus, Magoula and Koropi is regarded as the urban part.

In March 2011, with the Greek Government Law 3920 Attiko Metro Operational Company (AMEL S.A.) absorbed Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways S.A. and TRAM S.A. and was renamed "STASY S.A." ( el, ΣΤΑΣΥ Α.Ε.). Also ETHEL S.A. absorbed ILPAP S.A. and was renamed as "OSY S.A." ( el, ΟΣΥ Α.Ε.). The mergers were officially announced on June 10, 2011. While mergers at the top management level took place quickly, integration of the former companies at operations and support level proceeds slowly.

OSY and STASY are wholly owned by OASA. Hellenic Train (for the urban part of the Athens Suburban Railway) is coordinated by Athens Urban Transport Organisation (Organismos Astikon Syngoinonion Athinon - OASA, el, Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Αθηνών - Ο.Α.Σ.Α.), a state-owned company.

ISAP, ETHEL and ILPAP were wholly owned by OASA. AMEL and Tram S.A. until June 2011 were subsidiaries of Attiko Metro S.A. ( el, Αττικό Μετρό Α.Ε.), a company that is currently wholly owned by the Greek government.

Hellenic Train S.A., which absorbed the former Proastiakos S.A. in 2007, became independent of the OSE group in 2008 and is now a separate private company.

OASA regularly conducts street photography and videography competitions both in black-and-white and in colour for photos taken while inside its means of transport.

Fare collection system

Up until the 80s, fare collectors were commonplace in all means of mass transport in Athens. Their replacement was a money box placed at the front end of the vehicles, next to the driver, where passengers would deposit their fare in cash, usually coinage. A decade later, they were replaced with validation machines and paper tickets. The end of the single-use paper ticket came in 2017, when it was succeded by the ATH.ENA electronic stored-value cards and tickets (stylized as ATH.ENA CARD and ATH.ENA TICKET respectively). Tickets are now rechargeable and can be loaded with up to 5-day unlimited ticket, but not with long term fare products, discount tickets (support discontinued in January 2019) or monetary value. Cards (personalised and anonymised) can hold all fare types and a maximum of 50€, with the exception of discount tickets which are tied to personalised cards.

Tickets and cards are validated contaclessly in validation machines inside buses, trolleybuses and trams. Suburban railway trains and the Athens Metro utilize turnstiles.

The ATH.ENA ticket and ATH.ENA card can be used in suburban railway trains starting from Magoula or Dhekelia and onwards.

Depots

Metro

Eirini depot (Line 1)

Sepolia depot (Lines 2 & 3)

Eleonas depot (Lines 2 & 3)

Tram

Elliniko depot

Trolleybus

Attiki depot

Kokkinos Mylos depot

Rouf depot

Bus

Agios Dimitrios depot

Ano Liosia depot

Anthousa depot

Elliniko depot (closed in 2014)

Petrou Ralli depot

Rentis depot

Thriaseio depot (used only for laying up retired buses)

Votanikos depot

Gallery

File:20140622-Anthoupoli-62D304 (7872).jpg, Athens Metro train (3rd generation stock)
File:Tram TA20049 at Syntagma Square.jpg, Athens Tram Citadis 305 vehicle (2nd generation)
File:OSE Baureihe 660.jpg, Athens Suburban Railway train
File:Bus on Amalias Street in Athens on December 21, 2020.jpg, Mercedes - Benz O405 bus
File:Bus at Athens Airport (line X95).jpg, Express bus between the city and the airport
File:Athens Van Hool trolleybus on Patission Street in 2012.jpg, Athens trolley bus in downtown Athens

See also

* Athens Railway Station
* List of bus routes in Athens

References

External links

OASA companies established in 2011

O.A.S.A. - Athens Urban Transport Organisation

STASY S.A.

OSY S.A.

Non-OASA companies

TrainOSE suburban services

O.S.E. - Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A.

Hellenic Ministry of Transportation and Communications

{{Public transport in Athens

*
Intermodal transport authorities
Rail transport in Attica