Page 87 - O Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης από το 1957 μέχρι σήμερα | The Organisation of Urban Transportation of Thessaloniki from 1957 to the present day

Development in a continuously expanding city
Kardia, Trilofo, etc. New bus routes were established, new buses were added, and KTEL employees were given the opportunity to join OASTH.
In the years following the 2008 agreement, OASTH fur- ther increased its fleet and area of operation, expanding into the Langadas region. In 2009, the organisation owned 603 buses (335 with 100 seats, 245 articulated buses with 160 seats and 22 small buses with 45 seats), of which 528 were in operation. In 2010, 73 bus lines were operating within a 50-kilometre radius.
In addition to the continuous increase in bus routes and the number of buses, the concept of interchanging was introduced in the 1990s. Specifically, the central station at Dikastirion Square in the city centre was abolished, with the creation of large transfer stations around the centre (Macedonia KTEL, new railway station, IKEA, Stavroupoli, Chortiatis, Langadas), while at the same time promoting the archaeological site of the Roman agora.
The public OasTh
With the new ownership status established by the 2017 legislative framework on nationalisation, OASTH en- tered liquidation. The continuous reduction of the fleet in previous years, together with the decline in passen- ger numbers, were issues to be resolved in the post- 2017 reality. Specifically, an effort was made to repair decommissioned buses, while in 2019 OASTH started collaborating with the KTEL bus companies of Thessa- loniki, Serres, Kilkis, and Chalkidiki to operate routes
in remote areas, following OASTH’s pricing policy. The number of routes operated by KTEL has been steadily increasing in recent years and continues to do so to- day. At the same time, the organisation began to ac- quire buses through leasing under Law 4640/ 2019, as well as through donations from KTEL and the Munic- ipality of Thessaloniki.
Significant efforts are being made to increase the fleet and staff, along with the associated training, through the OASTH Academy. Measures are also be- ing taken to protect bus lanes and ensure the smooth running of city buses by installing delineator and com- bating fare evasion.
Tickets
From the outset, tickets represented the fare that pas- sengers would pay for the service provided by OASTH city buses, either at the standard rate or at a reduced rate (in specific cases). Initially, there were different tick- et zones depending on the area, and tickets were issued accordingly by the conductor on the bus. With the abo- lition of the latter in 2002, pre-printed tickets appeared, with the option of printing tickets inside city buses. Also, from the late 1980s, monthly unlimited travel cards be- gan to be issued. From the start of OASTH operations until 1990, travel was free until 8:00 am, while night routes had a small surcharge. Ticket prices rose steadi- ly over the years, but since 2017, they have been falling continuously.
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