Page 50 - O Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης από το 1957 μέχρι σήμερα | The Organisation of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki from 1957 to the present day

Chapter 1
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as a telematics system for monitoring buses, an integrat- ed passenger information system, photovoltaic lighting systems at remote stops, and the installation of fare col- lection systems, with simultaneous elimination of ticket collectors. Following an international tender, new buses were also added to serve the new regional routes. In ad- dition, a significant number of drivers were hired to en- sure the successful implementation of the project.
With the supplementary financial agreement of 2003, OASTH expanded to 15 new municipalities in the Thes- saloniki region, resulting in a consequent increase in bus routes and shares.
The financial agreement signed in 2008 renewed the provision of urban transport exclusively by OASTH for two years from the completion of the Thessaloniki Metro, the constructionofwhichhadbegunin2006.Inresponseto this new challenge, OASTH has proceeded with the pur- chase of new buses and the hiring of staf f in order to in- crease the frequency of routes and best fulfil the its mis- sion. Finally, based on Law 3987/ 2010, OASTH expanded even further into the Langadas area.
The economic crisis
The economic crisis in Greece, which began in 2009, also affected the operations of OASTH. Two joint min- isterial decisions (JMDs) signed in early August 2014 by Deputy Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras and Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Net- works Michalis Papadopoulos, a 5% wage cut was man-
dated, an adjustment of ticket prices, and a reduction in the Greek government’s contribution toward cover- ing the deficits of OASTH for the period 2015-2017. The reduction in State subsidies inevitably led to a read- justment of the pricing policy at the beginning of the year. However, according to estimates, ticket prices are considered cheaper than they are in Athens, while the level of service for commuters is slightly better. With a fleet of 603 diesel buses, a transport capaci- ty of 422,000,000 passengers annually, and telemat- ics systems, OASTH operates 528 buses daily (90% of the total) that make 5,800 trips on weekdays and 9% fewer on weekends.
In recent years, more citizens have been using city bus- es. All bus routes have seen a 32% increase in passenger trafficsince2003;accordingtoastudy,thenumberofpas- sengers transported reached 177 million in 2008, whereas it was only 134 million in 2003. The average annual occu- pancy rate on all bus routes has also increased. In 2008, it reached 41.89%, compared to 40.71% and 35.20% in 2007 and 2003 respectively.
The nationalisation of OasTh (law 4482/ 2017)
In accordance with the legislative framework of 2017, OASTH was nationalised as part of a broader regulation of urban transport in Thessaloniki, as work on the Metro, which had been halted in previous years, had restarted, while alternative means of transport in the city (trams, maritime transport) were also being discussed.