Athens to launch smartphone travelcards for public transport
Athens is set to roll out a new digital travelcard system, allowing passengers to carry and manage their six-month, annual, student, or disability transport cards directly on their smartphones.
Through the updated Ath.ena app, users will soon be able to convert their existing personalized plastic cards into a digital version, enabling them to top up, track usage, report loss, and buy fare products without visiting a ticket machine.
This development marks a significant step forward in the city’s push for digital transformation in public transport. It builds on the success of Tap2Ride, the contactless fare payment system launched in January using bank cards, which now accounts for 20% of daily and 30% of airport passenger transactions—with over 10 million contactless rides recorded in 2025 so far.
OASA CEO Giorgos Spiliopoulos highlighted at the 8th ITC 2025 Infrastructure & Transport Conference that reducing paper ticket use not only cuts costs—at 10 cents per ticket—but also benefits the environment.
The growing adoption of contactless and digital services is also supported by new 24-hour weekend operations on metro, tram, and bus lines, offering greater convenience and accessibility for passengers.
