Minister blames data protection agency for e-ticket woes

In an interview with state television on Saturday, Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis put the blame for long queues by commuters seeking to apply for the new electronic transport card on the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) and said that the new system will be fully up and running by November 15, the date when the old paper tickets will stop being valid.

According to Spirtzis, the HDPA had not permitted electronic applications for monthly travel cards, hence the long lines at metro stations across the capital by commuters seeking to make the applications in person.