Lisbon postpones expiration date of city’s public transport card

All Lisboa Viva cards that were supposed to expire after 23 February will have their durations extended until June

The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns put many European cities at a halt. Traffic pretty much entirely disappeared in many urban areas with only essential workers being allowed to go to their jobs in person. This, of course, means that public transport in Europe’s cities has grown largely unused – even by its usual and frequent travellers.

As a result of the lockdown, in Lisbon many citizens have not been able to renew their passes – either because they prefer not to venture outside on most days unless absolutely necessary or because crowding at recharging stops might prove to be a health hazard.

Extending the deadlines

In order to reduce the need for citizens to make unnecessary trips to their local operators’ card charging stops, OTLIS – Transport operators of Lisbon has announced that it will be extending the duration of al Lisboa Viva cards that were supposed to or have already expired after 23 February until June.

The decision is made in light of the extraordinary circumstances that we all find ourselves in and aims to take into account the government’s recommendations for social distancing. By ensuring that the Lisboa Viva cards’ duration does not expire, OTLIS wants to make sure that no unneeded and unnecessary crowding of citizens occurs at its charging stations – thus protecting the health not only of travellers but also of their own employees.

According to the statement made by OTLIS, all that the holders of expired Lisboa Viva cards must do is visit an ATM at a station on the Multibanco network. There, passengers will be able to recharge their cards and have them become valid until June when the company and authorities hope that the crisis would have already subsided to some degree.