Wait for e-ticketing on Athens urban transit not over yet

The Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) says that a hold-up at Greece’s privacy watchdog is preventing it from rolling out a much-publicized electronic ticketing system, which aims to limit fare dodging in the capital.

OASA turned to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (APPD) in September 2016 as it entered the second phase of the scheme to install the e-ticketing system. Sources at the watchdog say that the transport authority should have approached the APPD earlier in the process, before it had already planned the details of how the electronic cards for passengers would work.

This led to the APPD rejecting OASA’s plans in January this year. The watchdog argued that the transport organization had not examined alternatives that would have provided better protection for commuters’ privacy. Some six months later, on June 2, OASA asked for the APPD to provide further details, which the authority did on June 15.

OASA provided extra information on June 30 and a few days later, the APPD asked the transport organization to answer several key questions. These included what kind of data OASA will collect and why the year and month passengers were born will be recorded in all cases and not just for those qualifying for discounts.

Transport officials responded to the questions on July 7 but the wait for approval goes on.