OASA is moving forward with the upgrade of the telematics system, which currently offers passengers information in real time about the itineraries of road public transport on all urban and peri-urban lines of the transport network.

The technological upgrade of the OASA telematics system in Mass Transport will now allow faster and more reliable transmission of information. At the same time, the Agency’s management prioritizes planning to increase the number of “smart stops” with new signs. This plan, as is well known, concerns the installation of at least 500 additional “smart stops” on the streets of the urban complex of Athens.

At the same time, OASA, in an effort to make the most of the possibilities offered by technology today, plans to convert all 7,500 stops of the capital’s transportation network into “smart” ones.

The telematics app on smartphones, currently used by more than 1.2 million users, provides passengers with real-time information on the arrival of the next vehicle at each stop. By typing the name of the stop in the telematics application, the arrival times of all vehicles passing through the specific stop are immediately displayed.

This is exactly the possibility of informing passengers about the scheduled routes on all lines of the network (urban and peri-urban), OASA plans to highlight in the next period, by placing QR Codes at all bus and trolley stops, thus allowing a direct connection in the telematics for the specific stop. That is, through their mobile phone, passengers waiting at a stop will be able to easily connect with the QR Code to the telematics environment, immediately displaying on their phone screen the real-time arrival times of all vehicles at that stop.

It should be noted that in the OASA telematics application, the daily planning has already been integrated, which means that any changes to the scheduled routes occur during the day, due to evolving conditions in the transport network (e.g. adverse traffic conditions, emergency vehicle breakdown, changes to the start of routes, diversions to other lines or addition of supplementary routes when required), are automatically integrated into the data available to passengers.

Simultaneously and in real time, the new data is transmitted to the vehicles to inform the drivers with a visual and audible notification in the cabin.

Correspondingly, however, the drivers of the vehicles with the same two-way communication channels can communicate directly with the stationmasters of each line to transmit short (encoded) information in real time.

In fact, in the event of an emergency, it is possible to use a special alarm button (panic button), immediately sending a signal for help to the management center. The alarm appears immediately and in real time on the screen of each station master/supervisor, analyzing the information related to the specific vehicle (eg position, condition, driver).

However, in the context of improving the information services for the passenger public, OASA Group is considering utilizing the existing telematics systems and data, providing information on movements and fixed-track means (Metro and Tram).

The managing director of OASA, Giorgos Spiliopoulos, in his statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, emphasized that “telematics is entering a new era. A service that offers real-time information to passengers. At the same time, it provides drivers and network managers with the necessary information to optimize the work produced. The technological and functional upgrade and the expansion of the telematics network are being implemented at a rapid pace.”