Greek KTEL bus tenders 2026: deadlines and fleet requirements

In 2026 the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport put regional intercity and urban bus services out to open tender for the first time. There are 11 tenders, one for every region except the North Aegean, plus one for intercity services in Attica. Together they are worth about €3.45 billion. Each winner gets an exclusive right to the routes of its region for 10 years, with a possible 5-year extension. By mid-October 2026 the bid deadlines had been extended several times and no contract had been awarded.

The KTEL are the regional bus companies that run Greece’s intercity buses, and many of them are our customers. They will bid in these tenders, alone or in consortia. Below is a summary of the current rules, the new law, where each tender stands and what the tender notice asks of the winner, especially for buses.

How do the KTEL work today?

The KTEL currently operate under Law 2963/2001 (Government Gazette A’ 268). Each KTEL runs the scheduled intercity routes of its prefecture, and in many towns the urban routes too, with an exclusive right and no tender. The law turned most KTEL into public limited companies (KTEL S.A.), whose shareholders are the local bus owners. A few did not convert and operate in the form set out in article 5 of the same law.

The KTEL were set up by Law 2119/1952, one for each prefecture and island. In 1968 they were merged into 8 regional bodies, but in 1973 Decree 102/1973 brought back the organisation by prefecture. Some smaller prefectures are served by a neighbouring KTEL. The full story is in our article on the history of the KTEL.

There is no general operating subsidy. The state reimburses the KTEL for revenue lost on reduced and free fares, under article 86 of Law 4530/2018. For 2026 the decision of 6 October provides €11.77 million for fares for people with disabilities and large families, across urban and intercity KTEL and the municipal bus services of Kos and Rhodes. Fares are set by the ministry. In March 2026 Ministerial Decision 37279/2026 (Gazette B’ 1258) raised them by 5% to 10%. The same month, Law 5290/2026 amended several articles of Law 2963/2001, including the funding for replacing KTEL buses.

Costs also rose in 2026. By March, diesel was about 40% more expensive than at the start of the year, up from €1.520 to €2.118 per litre. The government subsidised diesel by 16 cents per litre at the distribution level, and the federation of intercity KTEL (POAYS) asked for €15 million in emergency support for all KTEL.

Why are KTEL services being tendered now?

The tenders are required by EU Regulation (EC) 1370/2007, which says public passenger transport with exclusive rights must be awarded through an open tender. Direct awards are allowed only as exceptions, such as small networks. For road transport, the regulation’s transition period ended on 3 December 2019.

Greece was late. In 2013 Law 4199/2013 set up a Passenger Transport Regulatory Authority (RAEM) to run the tenders, but none were held. In 2022 Law 4974/2022 abolished RAEM and gave the job to the ministry. Launching all the tenders by 30 April 2026 was a milestone for Recovery Fund financing. In January 2026 Deputy Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis said direct awards “conflict with EU law” and cannot continue.

What does Law 4974/2022 provide?

Law 4974/2022 (Government Gazette A’ 185, 29.9.2022) is the new framework for intercity and urban road passenger transport. Its main points:

• Who awards: the General Directorate of Transport of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (article 5). The tenders are run on the ministry’s behalf by Growthfund, the Greek sovereign fund (Ε.Ε.ΣΥ.Π. S.A.), through its Strategic Contracts Unit.
• Role of the regions: they propose routes and timetables, supervise the operator and impose fines. They do not run the tender themselves.
• Duration: 10 years, with a possible extension of up to 5 more (article 20).
• Deadlines after signature: 6 months to put the fleet on the road and 1 year for stations and facilities (article 20).
• Who can bid: any road passenger transport operator licensed under Regulation (EC) 1071/2009, alone or in a consortium (article 17).
• Fares: the tender sets a maximum fare, based on the cost of the service plus a reasonable profit (article 15).
• Small networks: direct award is allowed if the service is worth under €1 million a year or under 300,000 km a year. For small companies with up to 23 vehicles the limits double (article 25).
• Emergency measures: if services stop, the ministry can award them directly for up to 2 years (article 24).
• Transition: until the winners take over, the current operators, the KTEL, keep running the services (article 31). When the new contracts start, articles 1 to 32 of Law 2963/2001 are repealed (article 32).

The law does not cover urban transport run by OASA in Attica, OSETh in Thessaloniki, or the municipal companies of Rhodes and Kos.

Which regions have a tender, and when are the deadlines?

There is one tender per region, except the North Aegean, and one more for intercity services in Attica. Most have two lots: one for intercity routes and one for urban routes in the larger towns. The Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) notice came first, on 12 March 2026, and became the template for the rest.

The values come from the tender notices as compiled by The Opinion and Oikonomikos Tachydromos, and exclude the optional 5 years. With the option, Crete reaches €735.75m and Central Greece €416.25m. The deadlines come from the extension decisions signed by Alternate Minister Giorgos Kotsiras on Diavgeia (September and October 2026), and close at 12:00 local time. They change often, so check the current deadline on the Greek e-procurement system ESIDIS (promitheus.gov.gr).

Some small urban networks, such as Serres, Drama, Veria, Naousa and Kozani, are left out of the tenders. According to press reports, they will continue under the article 25 rule for small services.

North Aegean: no tender has been launched here. On Chios intercity bus services stopped in summer 2025, and in June 2026 the region revoked the operator’s licence. On 15 September 2026 the ministry approved emergency services by a private company: they run for 10 weeks at first, can be extended for up to 2 years, and end as soon as a contractor under Law 4974/2022 takes over.

Why have there been so many extensions?

The deadlines moved many times, mainly because the ministry amended the tender documents after questions and requests for clarification from interested parties. In Crete the first deadline was 11 May 2026. It then moved to 12 June and 18 September, and it is now 19 October. Central Greece, the first tender, has been extended at least five times and its deadline is now 11 November.

Meanwhile the KTEL keep running as before. Law 4974/2022 allowed two years to complete the awards, but that period is extended while administrative or court proceedings are pending. POAYS says the KTEL are ready and is asking for quick decisions, because the repeated extensions keep the sector in uncertainty. Sources quoted by The Opinion say the nationwide transition could take 5 to 6 years.

What does the tender ask of the winner?

The details below come from the codified Central Greece tender notice of 28 May 2026. The other tenders follow the same template, with different figures per region.

Who can bid

• A scheduled passenger transport operator licensed under Regulation (EC) 1071/2009. In a consortium, every member needs the licence.
• Average turnover for 2023-2025 of at least 70% of the lot’s annual value. For intercity Central Greece that is about €16.8 million a year.
• Average transport output of at least 70% of the lot’s annual vehicle-kilometres.
• ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 39001 at bid stage. ISO 14001, EN 13816 and ISO 27001 within 12 months.
• Consortia are allowed. Buses owned by shareholders, and their drivers, count as the bidder’s own resources, which helps KTEL that bid together.

How bids are scored

The winner gets no operating subsidy. It keeps the fares, which the notice calls “the only compensation”, plus reimbursement for reduced fares and advertising income. Demand risk is the winner’s. The one exception in Central Greece is urban Lamia and Chalkida, where the state may provide electric buses. The benefit from them must reach passengers as lower fares.

Guarantees, penalties and other terms

• A bid guarantee of 1% of the value, i.e. €2.4 million for intercity Central Greece, and a performance guarantee of 4%.
• Penalties for delays, for trips not run (€4.5 to €6 per intercity km) and for low passenger satisfaction. If fewer than 90% of trips run for more than 30 days, the contract is terminated.
• The winner must run at least 70% of the kilometres itself.
• The winner must secure its own licensed bus station in each regional unit. The notice does not provide for handing over the current KTEL stations.
• There is no obligation to take on KTEL staff. Drivers are declared through exclusive cooperation contracts. Intercity lots need at least 1.2 drivers per bus in peak season.

What buses does the winner need?

Within 6 months of signing, the winner must have a minimum number of buses on the road, plus a 10% reserve. Every bus needs telematics and electronic ticketing. New and used buses are allowed, up to 25 years old, diesel Euro III or newer, or zero-emission.

The main bus requirements in the Central Greece notice:

• Age: up to 25 years for every bus throughout the contract, counted from the chassis build year. A bus that reaches the limit is replaced with one no older than 18 years. Buses added to the fleet during the contract cannot be older than 18 years.
• Used buses: buses that are “new or used” are explicitly accepted from the EU, EEA or EFTA, with type approval and Greek registration. For a used bus registered in the EU, the type approval of the country of first registration is enough. Buses can be owned, leased or owned by shareholders. A purchase contract or a binding offer from a supplier is accepted as proof.
• Emissions: diesel Euro III or newer, or zero-emission. Each bus must meet the Euro standard of its build year. New buses registered for the first time must be Euro VI-E. There is no required share of electric buses. For the differences between classes, see our article on Euro 5, EEV and Euro 6.
• Urban accessibility: low floor up to 35 cm, kneeling, a ramp and a wheelchair space on every bus from day one.
• Intercity accessibility: every bus that joins the fleet during the contract, as an addition or a replacement, must have a wheelchair lift and meet UN R107. An inaccessible bus is rejected and fined.
• Equipment: air conditioning of at least 35 kW on 12-metre buses, ABS, a retarder, a digital tachograph, door cameras, LED destination signs, a PA system, and pre-wiring for validators and passenger counters. Tyres must be new at the start of service: no more than 6 months old on intercity buses and 12 months on urban ones.
• Urban diesel buses: automatic gearbox with at least 4 gears, an enclosed driver’s cab and a minimum engine power by length, for example 200 kW on 12-metre buses.
• Livery: in the colours set by the region.

What age limit applies today when a KTEL replaces a bus?

Until the new contracts start, the limits of Law 2963/2001 apply, and for buses entering service for the first time they are stricter than the tender’s 25 years. Age is counted from the chassis build year, without counting that year itself.

In practice, a used intercity bus that a KTEL brings in from Europe today must be no older than 15 years. Such a bus also meets the tender’s 18-year limit for buses added during the contract. For more detail, with examples of how age is counted, see our article on bus age limits. Before buying, confirm the limit with your KTEL’s management.

Who is bidding?

The KTEL are forming joint bids to meet the financial criteria, because a single KTEL usually does not reach 70% of the turnover of a whole region. In Western Greece, for example, the criterion for all intercity routes is average annual turnover of about €24.7 million. In several regions the KTEL have announced that they will bid together, as a single group for the whole region.

Foreign groups have also shown interest, and the press reports exploratory contacts between foreign investors and KTEL in Western Greece. Who wins where will only be known when the bids are opened.

KTEL shareholders ask whether the terms ensure the winner is financially sound or simply shut out smaller groups, and why smaller lots cannot be bid for separately.

What about Athens and Thessaloniki?

Urban transport in Athens (OASA) and Thessaloniki (OSETh) is outside Law 4974/2022 and has its own framework.

• Athens: OASA has an eight-year contract with the “Attica Transport Consortium”, which includes KTEL from other regions, for 63 routes in East and West Attica. Intercity services in Attica, now run by KTEL Attikis, are a separate tender with a deadline of 26 October 2026.
• Thessaloniki: a consortium of KTEL Thessaloniki and KTEL Serres signed an interim contract with OSETh in March 2026 for 43 suburban routes with 185 buses, including 100 new electric buses. The contract runs until 28 February 2027, until OSETh’s large tender of about €590 million for 10 plus 5 years is completed.

What do the tenders mean for a KTEL fleet?

For a KTEL bidding in a tender, the fleet is scored, as well as being an entry requirement. Bus age counts for 10%, and how fast the fleet can be on the road counts within the 29.5% for readiness. In practice:

1. Count your buses by age: any with a chassis over 25 years old cannot be used. Those that pass 25 during the decade will have to be replaced with buses no older than 18.
2. Buy to today’s limit: if you replace a bus now, an intercity bus must be no older than 15 years and a city bus no older than 18. That covers you both today and during the contract.
3. Work out the gap: the region’s minimum fleet plus a 10% reserve, all with telematics and electronic ticketing.
4. Check accessibility: urban buses need a low floor and a ramp. Intercity buses added later need a lift.
5. Secure offers early: the notice accepts a binding supplier offer as proof. A good used bus from Europe takes time to find, inspect and register.

In the HellasBus catalogue you will find intercity buses and coaches and low-floor city buses, with year, emission class and equipment in every listing. If you are preparing a tender bid and need a set number of buses, a maximum age or a wheelchair lift, tell us what the notice requires. We will tell you what we have or what we can find. To check each vehicle, see the pre-purchase checklist. Call +30 23520 61222 or send us a WhatsApp message.