Commuters finding tickets harder to come by

As spending cuts and fare-dodging take an increasing toll on the quality of public transport in the Greek capital – with an aging fleet and reductions in routes – commuters are reporting difficulties in finding the tickets needed to use buses and trolley buses in the absence of automatic dispensers at stops.

“It’s as though the state is doing everything in its power to prevent passengers from being law-abiding,” a commuter who declined to be named told Kathimerini.

According to the Athens Transport Authority (OASA) the number of ticket sales points around the city has dropped to around 1,100 from 4,000 in 2011. The main reason, it says, is that tickets are sold mainly by kiosks whose owners are refusing to shoulder the cost of purchase because they only make 4 percent profit on every sale.