In September 2025, numerous pieces of evidence and well‑documented press reports were published regarding alleged longstanding discrimination by KTEL Thessaloniki against migrants on the basis of race, skin color and national origin.
On 4 September, the newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn) reported the operation of night routes by KTEL Thessaloniki, with a tourist coach rather than KTEL vehicles, whose passengers were made up of Africans; Pakistanis; refugees and migrants or those who worry about the legality of their documents. The report followed a complaint made on 3 September by Nea Aristera MP Mr. Iliopoulos, who noted in his complaint that when citizens asked KTEL why they would not issue a ticket to a passenger from Africa while seats were available, the employee had replied: “for your safety, foreigners travel at night.”
This is not an isolated incident. According to EfSyn, over the past seven years KTEL has operated a special route that departs at 11 p.m. from Thessaloniki and is used exclusively by people of African or Pakistani origin, generally dark‑skinned individuals, The same information suggests that the vehicle used does not have the typical characteristics of KTEL buses and resembles a simple tourist coach. Furthermore, the state authorities likely know what is happening because this particular route has been stopped several times by the highway police in Larisa to check the documents of refugees and migrants, and some fines have been issued.
In another report on 5 September, EfSyn revealed a document signed by the president of KTEL Thessaloniki, Stefanos Tsolis, dated 12 March 2024, addressed to ticket issuers: “[…] Therefore, for the protection of the other passengers, from whom we have HUNDREDS of strong complaints, you are prohibited from issuing tickets to individuals who clearly do not observe hygiene rules (e.g. emit an odor that is clearly not acceptable to the other passengers […]). At the same time, because you know the extremely severe penalties for transporting foreigners lacking legal residence documents in Greece, the company, in consultation with the police, has designated one route per day which is checked by state authorities. Only for this route will you issue tickets to those whose legal residence documents you cannot verify. Finally, we remind you that our services are provided without any direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of nationality or the transport of persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, in accordance with the above regulation. Our goal is for ALL passengers to travel EQUALLY, without their health being endangered by individuals who do not observe public hygiene rules. Ticket issuers who violate these instructions will face penalties without further warning.” (Translation by Govwatch team)
Themis Amblas, president of the Federation of Transport Unions of Greece and member of the GSEE board, confirmed the allegations to EfSyn, describing complaints he had received from ticket issuers about the matter who confirmed that they had written and verbal orders to carry out these practices, accompanied by ‘threats’ of disciplinary penalties if they did not comply. These ‘special routes’ do indeed exist and depart at 11:30 p.m. from Athens and Thessaloniki.
KTEL Thessaloniki, through sources quoted in a report by thestival.gr, responded to Mr. Iliopoulos’s complaint claiming the particular incident arose when a bus was full and the passenger subsequently began insulting the employees, who called the police. The police confirmed that the bus was full and no seats were available, and the individual later left.
However, on 5 September, KTEL director Sakis Georgiadis essentially confirmed the allegations, stating on OPEN TV that for about 10 years there has been coordination with the Hellenic Police to place all foreign nationals on the last route of the day. He claimed that this policy arose after a 2014 law made drivers who transport illegal migrants liable for criminal sanctions. Drivers can go to prison for transporting a migrant without documents, and this has happened many times, Mr Georgiadis confirmed.
The Hellenic Police (ELAS) denied participating in discriminatory practices by KTEL against migrants.
As noted by Vasilis Papadopoulos, president of the Greek Council for Refugees, the above raise a serious issue of blatant and systematic violation of Article 11(1) of Law 4443/2016 (ΦΕΚ Α’ 232/9.12.2016), which provides that anyone who, in the transactional provision of goods or services to the public, violates the prohibition of discriminatory treatment on grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, religious or other beliefs, disability or chronic illness, age, family or social status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender characteristics, is punishable by imprisonment from six months to three years and a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 euros.
Article 5(2)(a) of the Constitution states that “all persons within the Greek territory shall enjoy full protection of their life, honor and liberty without discrimination of nationality, race, language or religious or political beliefs”, while Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides that “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status”.
The alleged conduct of KTEL against refugees and migrants raises a serious issue of blatant and systematic violation of Law 4443/2016, which reflects superior (constitutional and international law) provisions and prohibits discriminatory treatment of individuals within Greek territory on grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, religious or other beliefs, disability or chronic illness, age, family or social status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender characteristics.
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