NEWS

Report paints bleak picture for Athens public transport

Report paints bleak picture for Athens public transport

Higher gas prices and maintenance costs for the rapidly aging fleet of the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) are eating away at its profits, the cash-strapped company said in its annual report for operations in 2015.

According to the data, OASA collected 0.32 euros for every passenger journey in 2015 compared with 0.38 euros the year before. Moreover, every passenger journey cost OASA 0.55 euros in 2015 compared with 0.38 euros in 2014.

The rise in the cost of providing public transport has also resulted in poorer services for commuters, the numbers suggested.

For example, in 2015, the vehicles of fixed-track transport operator STASY (responsible for the Athens metro, the tram and the ISAP railway) and OSY (buses and trolley buses), which make up OASA, covered a total of 141.3 million kilometers, down from 145.8 million the previous year.

Buses in particular saw a significant decline, with their coverage dropping from 84.1 million km in 2014 to 80 million in 2015. Even the metro – the main way of getting around the Greek capital efficiently – put in less work in 2015, covering 33.3 million km from 33.5 million the year before.

Passenger numbers, however, also dropped from a total of 651 million in 2014 to 631 million in 2015, with the smallest declines recorded on the tram and ISAP.

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