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They turned their backs on urban transport during the period 2020-2025 about 239 drivers her OSYin a set 645 who have left the company for various reasons (dismissal, transfer, resignation, retirement, etc.).
According to data provided by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Konstantinos Kyranakisanswering a topical New Left question, out of a total of 645 departures, about 239 are due in the resignation of drivers in the period 2020-2025288 concern drivers who have retired, 64 are transfers while 31 departures are due to dismissal and 23 to death. Of course, in recent years, the wave of resignations has intensified. In 2025, driver departures due to resignation exceeded those due to retirement.
According to the data, in 2025, resignations amounted to 97 compared to 30 a year ago, 35 in 2023, 30 in 2022 and 43 in 2021. At the same time, departures due to retirement amount to 62 in 2025 compared to 80 in 2024 and 43 in 2023. In 2025, 5 transferred, while 3 were dismissed.
We remind you that the lack of drivers is a pan-European phenomenon that also affects Athens’ urban transport, which in previous years was faced with retirements, employee transfers and hiring freezes. Shortages of around 600 drivers have resulted in the cancellation of services today, testing the patience of the traveling public. At the same time, newly hired OSY drivers are submitting their resignations and stepping down from the wheel, most often because their previous service in the private sector is not recognized, with the result that the financial rewards are not attractive.
In response to this, the Ministry of Transport plans to proceed, through the new collective agreement, to grant an active driver bonus of 150 euros. As Mr. Kyranakis repeated today, there are 2,700 active drivers while the goal is to increase them to 3,200 in order to fully implement the OASA program.
“Last year at this time there were 2,400. Well, we have a significant increase both due to recruitments and also due to the return to the wheel of drivers who were deemed fit to drive by the medical tests we have done”, he said. In order to reach the goal, the relevant ministry proceeds to examine the driving ability of those who had given up the wheel in previous years with a doctor’s “paper”.
The drivers who have returned are 150 while 700 were checked. Of these, there is a portion of drivers who, due to an existing health problem, are deemed unable to return to the wheel and are placed in other roles. However, there are around 100 drivers whose license was revoked.
At the same time, OSY is resorting to fixed-term contracts to deal with the thorn of shortages while a notice is being prepared that will be issued soon, for the recruitment of drivers without the requirement of a professional diploma, with OSY offering subsidized training through the new driving school.
