Contactless payments on city buses are being implemented, replacing the use of cash or waiting in line for paper tickets when traveling in 33 cities and islands.

Visa, NBG Pay and KTEL provide for the first time the possibility of contactless payments on our country’s Public Transport, with domestic and international credit, debit and prepaid cards with the possibility of contactless transactions.

The program contributes to highlighting the use of MMMs in a more “intelligent” and sustainable experience, enhancing the touristic value of cities.

Athens, May 4, 2023 – Visa, NBG Pay and KTEL announce the launch of the contactless payment program on city buses in 33 cities of mainland and island Greece. Larissa is the first city to host the new ticket payment system on its buses, with other cities soon to follow. By enabling card acceptance on buses in many cities across Greece, Visa, NBG Pay and KTEL are improving the experience of millions of passengers, helping them save time, reducing congestion and enabling them to not carry cash all the time.

With the activation of contactless payments in Public Transport, residents and visitors will be able to pay their ticket by simply ‘swiping’ their card, mobile phone or watch (wearable devices) at the ticket validation machines. This means they don’t have to worry about having cash, and there’s also no need to wait in line to buy tickets or search where to get them.

The Visa solution implemented is powered by Cybersource. It is part of an open payment processing platform that enables transport organizations and payment acceptance solution providers to rapidly develop reliable, scalable and secure digital payment solutions across both card present, contactless and cardless channels (CNPCard not Present), such as in-app payments. This includes accepting and processing payments for cards from different companies, digital wallets and alternative payments, alongside value-added services such as fraud management, digital security tools and data and analytics capabilities.

“Public transport is vital to the economy of cities. Passengers and visitors, from Greece and abroad, rely on it to get to work, to local businesses to buy necessities or to to browse and be entertained. In 2022, the Visa network processed more than 1 billion contactless payments worldwide on Public Transport. By activating contactless payment systems on KTEL city buses, our goal is to make it simpler, more comfortable and safer lives of millions of passengers.

As tourism recovers, this technology is expected to further improve the travel experience of those visiting Greek cities. With more than 550 cities internationally already in the program, we are delighted to offer our global expertise in Greece as well. We are looking forward to the implementation of this innovative system in the MMMs of Athens, very soon. I would like to thank our partners in this project, NBG Pay, KTEL and AMCO, as well as the Visa and Cybersource teams for this important service that is being implemented in 33 cities across Greece,” he said Visa General Manager for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, Sevi Vassileva.

“In many countries now, more and more cities are upgrading their means of public transport by replacing the usual modes of operation with innovative solutions for making payments. At NBG Pay we respond to the needs of the passenger public, offering through this partnership with KTEL and the Visa upgraded contactless payment services, to make urban transport simpler and more accessible. It is a critical step that contributes to increasing efficiency and in a simple and secure way, significantly improves the daily experience of citizens and tourists. With the completion of the project in 33 cities of Greece, we aim to further expand and apply the new system to all of the country’s Mass Transportation,” said Christoforos Hatzopoulos, General Manager of NBG Pay.

“The adoption of the contactless payment program is an upgrade and modernization of urban KTEL services to passengers and gives added value to the final product, as it simplifies the ticketing process. With the activation of contactless payments in Public Transport, passengers will be able to buy their ticket in real time, simply by ‘swiping’ their card, mobile phone or watch (wearable devices) at the ticket validation machines.

Consequently, the need to use cash to issue tickets will be a thing of the past in the near future, while at the same time the feeling of transaction security of the passengers who will make use of the provided service will be strengthened. This innovative program of contactless payments inside city buses is being implemented with the collaboration of NBG Pay and Visa, who by providing their technology and know-how contributed catalytically, under the auspices and guidance of the Panhellenic Urban Transport Federation (POAS)” , said the President of Larisa Municipal Bus Service and President of POAS, Michalis Sakellariou.