Members of the 'I won't pay' movement struck in several places throughout Athens on Sunday, disabling machines used to stamp tickets in buses, trolley buses and stations throughout the metro, electric railway and tram systems.
Several ticket machines were damaged after members of the grassroots movement visited the majority of stations and poured glue into the slots so that tickets could not longer be inserted. In some cases they succeeded in removing the entire ticket machine and getting away before
The management of public transport companies estimates that the damage is extremely extensive, since apart from the cost of replacing and repairing the machines they are also losing revenue because commuters are unable to stamp their tickets, which can then be reused.
The same movement took similar action at toll posts on highways, raising the bars so that cars could pass freely.
Members of the movement were strongly criticised by Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Dimitris Reppas in an interview with the Sunday Kathimerini newspaper, who stressed that Greece would not acquire a "lawless identity" and again referred to those refusing to pay as "freeloaders".
"The reactions of those losing privileges confirm the depth of the changes we are making and presage the degree of their effectiveness," he stressed, saying the ministry was asking the citizens to act according to rules in a framework that contained both rights and obligations.
Concerning public transport strikes, Reppas said these would be an 'interval' and repeated his reluctance to resort to a civil conscription to force drivers back to work.
In the ticket system on Greek public transport, tickets are bought in advance and are inserted into a ticket machine when passengers enter the means of public transport they intend to use. The machine stamps a date and time on the ticket, thus making them valid for travel for a period of 1.5 hours.
SOURCE: ANA-MPA
