A practice that for years has been a drain on public urban transport services and public resources has come to light following intensive checks by the Department for Transport and Infrastructure on bus drivers who declared themselves unable to work for health reasons but were working elsewhere.
More specifically, hundreds of OSI bus drivers who remained off duty and were being paid regularly by the Greek state were working in parallel in tourist transport, while at the same time urban transport services were facing serious staff shortages.
The issue was raised by Konstantinos Kyranakis
The revelations emerged after the implementation of the new, stricter monitoring and evaluation framework introduced at the initiative of Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Konstantinos Kyranakis for drivers who are removed from work due to health problems. The sweeping checks have revealed cases of hundreds of drivers who were off duty in urban transport for long periods of time, while at the same time working normally in tourist transport.
These were workers who continued to be paid by public transport operators while urban transport services were facing serious staff shortages and citizens were experiencing the daily consequences of reduced services and delays. According to OSI data, in 2024 alone, more than 500,000 scheduled services were not carried out due to a shortage of drivers.
700 drivers declared absence for health reasons
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The picture recorded in the checks was considered particularly problematic, as out of a total of around 2,700 drivers, 700 declared abstinence from driving citing health issues. However, a significant number of them were reportedly working regularly in the private sector, mainly on tourist buses.
Sources at the transport ministry say that Kyranakis’ intervention put an end to a regime of lax controls that for years allowed workers to remain out of active service, at a direct cost to the Greek state and, by extension, the Greek taxpayer.
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Already about 150 drivers have returned to active duty, while a process of review and revocation of professional licenses is underway for about 300 cases. At the same time, about 250 employees have declared their intention to leave OSI after the start of the audits.
The new control framework
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A key factor in uncovering the cases was the new professional licence checking process that came into effect from 1 December 2025, significantly tightening the framework for drivers who are removed from work due to health issues.
Under the new procedure, when a driver is referred to a health board, they are required to surrender their licence within two working days. Otherwise, the licence is automatically seized by the Transport Department, with the police being informed at the same time.
The conclusion of the committee determines whether the driver can return to work, whether restrictions on specific categories of vehicles are required or whether the professional licence should be permanently withdrawn.
The Transport Ministry stresses that the inspections do not concern workers with real health problems, but cases of misuse of a system that has operated for years without effective checks and balances, depriving public transport of staff and at the same time burdening the Greek state.
