Page 83 - O Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης από το 1957 μέχρι σήμερα | The Organisation of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki from 1957 to the present day

Chapter 3
develOpmenT in a cOnTinUOUsly expanding ciTy
The early years
According to Law 3721/ 1957, OASTH had the exclusive right to provide urban transport services in Thessaloniki within a 10-kilometre radius of the White Tower, in exchange for a fare. Initially, it had 29 bus lines connecting the western and eastern districts with the centre. Areas such as Thermi, Michaniona, Epanomi, and Panorama were still served by the KTEL (then 39th KTEL) of Thessaloniki, regardless of whether they were within the 10-kilometre radius. At that time, these areas were regarded as suburban.
The creation of a single urban bus organisation brought to the fore the need to improve the road network of Thessaloniki, which was largely in a rudimentary state. To this end, a programme was implemented to widen the major roads in the city centre, while making some of them one-way (a typical example being Tsimiski Street), and the later introduction of bus lanes on the right-hand side of the road. There were bus terminals at various points in the city centre (Venizelou, Dragoumi, etc.), in Dikastirion Square, but the central bus station was located in the city centre until the end of the 1980s, when it was abolished, along with the introduction of large transfer stations on the outskirts of the city.
There was an immediate need to acquire land for the offices of the organisation, as well as for a depot and repair garage for its buses, which had already been renewed in the early 1960s. The land was purchased from the Thessaloniki Motorists’ Supply Cooperative HERACLES LLC on 132 (now 90) Papanastasiou Street. The organisation’s offices and first depot were built on this plot, but soon it was necessary to move the depot to another
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