Thessaloniki secures free transit cards for over 4,000 students

The Thessaloniki Vice-Regional Governor, Kostas Gioutikas, has announced measures to secure student transportation for the 2026–2027 school year. A contract has been signed with OSETH to provide more than 4,000 free unlimited-route transit cards to students in secondary education, including middle schools, high schools, EPAL, and experimental schools. To simplify the process, students will now load their transit coupons onto their personalized ThessCard only once upon receipt.

Eligibility for the free transit program requires the distance between a student's residence and their school to be at least 2.5 kilometers. This initiative follows a successful previous year where over 3,000 students utilized similar prepaid cards.

Regarding general school bus services, Gioutikas stated that solutions have been found to address transportation needs. Following a bidding process, 50% of routes have already resumed, with expectations that 90% will be covered by early next week and the remaining 10% by the end of September. Challenges remain for certain specialized schools, which the Region may address through new contracts or by leasing vans.