New body of bus and trolley bus inspectors to be formed

Transport authorities are set to hire 160 staff for a new body of inspectors tasked with tackling fare dodging on buses and trolley buses in the Greek capital.

The inspectors will be hired by OSY, the bus and trolley bus operator, to check passengers for tickets, to impose fines and to notify police when needed. Their presence will supplement an initiative introduced in July obliging passengers to board from the front door in a bid to crack down on fare evasion.

According to reports, the measure – as well as the recent activation of ticket barriers in the Athens metro – has increased revenues and reduced the number of fare dodgers which, for years, have plagued the capital’s transport system.

The new body will come to fill a void, as inspectors on bus and trolleys were rare if non-existent in recent years after a system of voluntary inspections by drivers was abandoned in the summer of 2013.