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Greece: Officials race to solve student transport crisis in Thessaloniki
🇬🇷 Greece /Energy & Infrastructure

Greece: Officials race to solve student transport crisis in Thessaloniki

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Officials met to address the urgent issue of student transportation in Thessaloniki, Greece, ahead of the new school year.
  • Two regional tenders for the service failed, risking 16,500 students being left without transport.
  • Authorities are exploring solutions, including a meeting with bus owners, to resolve the problem before September.

A critical issue regarding the transportation of 16,500 students in Thessaloniki, Greece, is being urgently addressed by regional and municipal authorities. A meeting held at the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace, led by Deputy Minister of Interior Kostas Giouleka, focused on finding a unified solution to ensure students can get to school. The initiative came from the Regional Union of Municipalities of Central Macedonia (PEDKM). The problem arose after two tenders by the Region of Central Macedonia for the transportation service failed, creating a risk that students might be left without transport starting in September. Deputy Regional Governor of Thessaloniki Kostas Youtikas highlighted that the situation is at an impasse because the algorithm determining bus operators' compensation has remained unchanged for 13 years, failing to account for increased operational costs. Deputy Minister Giouleka pledged to relay the proposals from the region and mayors to the relevant ministries. He also announced a follow-up meeting next week, which will include bus owners. "There is a willingness from everyone to cooperate with Deputy Minister of Interior Kostas Giouleka, with the Region of Central Macedonia and the mayors, to find a solution before the start of the school year," said PEDKM President Ignatios Kaitetzidis. "We discussed two or three specific scenarios and will discuss them again within the next week with the participation of the bus owners, so that a solution can finally be found." Giouleka emphasized the need to resolve the issue before it becomes a problem, stating, "We are looking to find a solution. We will be ready, once this discussion is completed, to address the issue before it becomes a problem. After all, what concerns us is that our children are transported to school without problems."

There is a willingness from everyone to cooperate with Deputy Minister of Interior Kostas Giouleka, with the Region of Central Macedonia and the mayors, to find a solution before the start of the school year

— Ignatios KaitetzidisPEDKM President Ignatios Kaitetzidis on the collaborative effort to solve the student transportation issue.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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