Closed ticket barriers at Syntagma cause confusion

Many commuters seemed to balk at the sight of closed ticket barriers at Syntagma metro station, the capital's busiest, on Monday, where barriers leading to the platforms were activated from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the first time.

The Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) plans to close the barriers at all 60 of the capital's metro and ISAP stations by March 15 in a bid to tackle rampant fare dodging, which costs the cash-strapped company 40 to 60 million euros a year.

In anticipation of the confusion seen at Syntagma on Monday, however, the company has chosen to close the barriers for just a few hours a day - and not at rush hour - to ensure that the traveling public is well acquainted with how the system works before they are fully activated.