GRITS: The Greek Highways welcome the era of interoperability

On November 4, the expectation of the drivers of the Greek motorways for smooth and uniform use of the road network with a single transponder is finally over. A project that has been the subject of much discussion for about a decade, was successfully completed and the door to interoperability is finally open.

The Greek Interoperable Tolling Systems or GRITS, which has been operating successfully since 2012 for a portion of the motorway network, has now been expanded to allow drivers to use a single transponder nationwide and safely and easily  go through the electronic lanes of all Greek motorways. Original members of GRITS include Attiki Odos, the Aegean Motorway, Morea, Olympia Odos and the Rio-Antirrio Bridge.  The new members added as of Novemeber 4 include Nea Odos, Kentriki Odos and Egnatia Odos.

It is worth noting that Interoperability will be offered at no extra charge to drivers who can now choose a single transponder depending on the motorway that serves them best.

Why is GRITS the beginning of a new era for Greek motorways?

Speaking to ypodomes.com, Mr. Antulio Richetta, the Director of IBI Group, a company that designed and successfully undertook the GRITS deployment for most of the GRITS members, commented that “We could not be more proud for the realization of this important project.  Nationwide Interoperability through GRITS greatly facilitates the movements of the drivers through all the Greek Motorways making their daily lives a lot easier. It is not our only ongoing project though. Next projects include the ‘Hybrid’ toll system implemented by IBI for Olympia Odos.  Opening December 1^st 2020, the Hybrid system will enable Olympia Pass users to get discounts based on the exact distance travelled.  Also, in the making are a series of Apps we are developing with our clients that will further support the drivers travel and payment experience.”

Mr. Giannis Nasoulis Project Manager of the project noted that “The Greek toll interoperability system (GRITS) is a pioneer in terms of performance, especially the speed and reliability with which it operates. This is due to the design and the plan of “exhaustive” tests that are done every time a new member enters the system. The system architecture also allows for its further development with the operation and other facilities for drivers, such as filling in a single transponder account on all motorways, combining discounts on different motorways (especially useful if discount packages are applied to trucks), but also interconnection with toll systems of other European countries “.

Information Campaigns

All the Greek motorway operators have already started information and awareness campaigns for new users, since with this new system, a driver will be able to procure and use a transponder from Egnatia Odos in Thessaloniki and seamlessly pass through the Moreas motorway in the Peloponnese.  Given that GRITS is offered for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) users only, the market players estimate the ETC penetration will increase as more users will realize the value and simplicity nationwide Interoperability brings to their travel experience.