The incident, which left 57 passengers injured, occurred when a bus operated by a private contractor violently collided with another vehicle at a stop. It has since revealed troubling patterns of overwork, understaffing, and regulatory failures in the Greek capital’s bus system.
According to internal documents, the driver involved in the crash had been working an exhausting schedule. In just four days, she had completed two 16-hour shifts — including one on the day of the accident. On July 1st, she worked from 7:10 AM to 11:15 PM. After two shorter shifts on the following days, she was again behind the wheel for 16 hours on July 4th, the day the crash occurred.
A Widespread Issue
This was not an isolated case. Reports suggest that excessively long shifts, often stretching to 16 hours, have become standard practice among drivers employed by the Athens Transit Consortium, a private partnership tasked with operating 63 bus lines in greater Athens. The consortium, made up of regional bus companies and private travel agencies, signed a contract with the state-run Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) in March 2024. The deal, worth €435 million (excluding VAT) over eight years, covers a large portion of the capital’s bus network.
Despite the contract’s clear limits on working hours and safety requirements, employees’ unions claim that drivers are routinely overworked, underpaid — or not paid at all — and forced to work in precarious conditions. Some drivers, they say, even take on additional cleaning duties after their driving shifts end due to a lack of support staff.
Officially, representatives of the consortium deny that drivers are working double shifts and insist that all work hours are declared to ERGANI, the national labor registry. However, shift logs and union reports appear to contradict these claims.
Fewer Buses, More Routes
Compounding the problem is a shortage of buses. The consortium committed to deploying 211 buses across 63 routes — 25 in eastern Attica and 38 in the west. But nearly a year into the contract, only 181 buses are in operation, with around 20 regularly out of service due to technical issues.
Despite this shortfall, the consortium’s financial compensation from the state remains unchanged, as if all 211 buses were running as promised. Meanwhile, the number of routes has quietly grown to 74, including duplicate or “clone” lines like 122A and 122B, which mirror the original 122 route — the line involved in last week’s crash.
Insiders warn that the consortium may soon abandon some routes due to lack of staff and vehicles. Around 80 of its 450 drivers have already applied to transfer to OASA-run services, hoping for better working conditions and stability.
Lack of Oversight
OASA, which is overseen by Greece’s Ministry of Transport and the government’s privatization fund, is under fire for failing to enforce the contract’s safety and operational terms. For instance, instead of the legally required depots in both eastern and western Attica, the private operators are reportedly using makeshift yards with scattered containers and fuel tanks, often lacking proper maintenance staff or spare buses.
A union representing technical staff at OASA noted that it remains unclear whether vehicles undergo the required regular maintenance and safety inspections. “We’d like to believe the technical checks are being carried out as required by the signed agreements,” the union stated pointedly.
