Public transport

SGT Tsomokos is organizing on Wednesday an online public debate of the future of urban transport and the contribution of electric mobility in the economy's restart.

Titled "Shaping the Mobility of Tomorrow," the event includes the participation of Deputy Transport Minister Yiannis Kefaloyiannis.

The debate is free to attend after registering at shorturl.at/NPW27.

The passengers will be required to pay fares

Greece reopened its main airports to more international flights on Monday, hoping to kick-start its vital tourism sector after three months in lockdown.
Tourism employs about 700,000 people and accounts for some 20% of Greece's economic output, so how the sector fares is significant for the country's recovery. Greece emerged from a decade-long debt crisis two years ago.

The maximum passenger capacity on all public transport in Greece as well as intercity buses (KTEL) is increased to 65 percent from the current 50 percent, according to a joint ministerial decision issued on Tuesday.

The decision will remain in place until June 14.

Authorities in Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, have announced a set of measures after scenes showing people largely ignoring rules on public transport vehicles.

The country this week scrapped the rule that public transport vehicles should operate at 50 percent capacity as Turkey started to relax most of the anti-virus curbs.

Passenger traffic in Greek public transport jumped 13.94 percent on June 1, when further restrictive measures for the prevention of coronavirus eased, compared with the same day a week ago (May 25), according to data by the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) on Thursday.

A total of 931,876 tickets were validated on all public transport on June 1, versus 817,900 on May 25.

The Interior Ministry has lifted another transport restriction initially imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus by removing the obligation that 50 percent of seats in public transportation vehicles should be empty.

Tickets for public transport in Athens and Thessaloniki are cheaper as of Monday with a reduction of value-added tax, to 13% from 26%, coming into effect. From now through October, commuters can buy a single ticket for the metro, tram, bus or trolley bus in Athens for 1.20 euros, down from €1.40, while the equivalent ticket for buses in Thessaloniki will cost €0.90, compared to €1 now.

Tickets for public transport in Athens and Thessaloniki will be cheaper as of Monday when a reduction of value-added tax, to 13% from 26%, comes into effect.

Turkey's civil aviation directorate has unveiled a set of rules to be implemented in airports as the country is easing some of its measures against the coronavirus in line with its normalization program. 

The new rules are part of the pandemic certification scheme, which is designed to ensure that airports are taking all necessary precautions against COVID-19.