The radical renewal of the bus fleet in Athens and Thessaloniki is the main objective of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, according to the Secretary of State Despina Paliaruta speaking at the 10th Delphi Economic Forum.

In the discussion, he made a special mention of the ministry’s vision of a modern network of roads, ports and other infrastructure, which will provide more sustainable and faster movements, with the goals of accessibility and environmental protection and the basic pillar of electricity.

To date, as Ms. Paliaruta said, 60m euros have been given to subsidies for 20,000 electric vehicles, and new ways of subsidy will be found. There are 6871 charging points nationwide, with the next target being the development of the terminal charging in the primary and secondary road network. Another important part of the planning of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is the sustainable development of urban mobility, with 36 plans being ongoing in cooperation with municipalities.

Another pillar for the most sustainable mobility in cities is the refurbishment of bus fleets in Attica and Thessaloniki. In Athens, there are 405 new buses in Athens, which will take place 951 by the end of 2025, while tenders for their supply will continue with alternative financial tools, with the aim of changing the bus fleet. With regard to Thessaloniki, there will be a total of 159 electric buses on the streets within the next time, and as Ms. Paliorutas revealed for the first time, it will run a competition in 2025 for hydrogen buses, but also for the production of the fuel itself.

For Jovana Jovic, Managing Director of Volvo Hellas, all in Volvo’s company in relation to the future of mobility begins and ends with people and reduced speeds on the roads and the target in the coming years reduces the noise that in turn brings a more viable lifestyle.

He did the even smartest vehicles of the future, which will have technology to support drivers to make better traffic decisions, faster and sustainable routes, like a smartphone with wheels that will provide better quality of life.

Sarita Varuch, Director General of Uber Greece, for her part, said: “Since the start of our activity in Greece a decade ago, our aim was to provide safe, sustainable and affordable mobility solutions that enhance the country’s transport infrastructure. As one of the leading tourist destinations in the world, Greece offers a unique opportunity to modernize transport and to better serve both the millions of Greek citizens and international visitors. Our commitment to the taxi industry remains stable and we firmly believe that a modern, balanced regulatory framework for route sharing services and traditional taxis will not only meet the ever -increasing demand for transport, but will also open new financial opportunities. “

Victoria Kalfakis, Head of Public Sector in Google Cloud, said that moving to cities is now determined by information coming from different sources, a combination of organizations and governments, with significant contribution from Google Maps. The dominant element of the mobility of the future is the optimization of the routes, in an even more viable way, while a key part that will determine the road behavior is also the road safety.

The next step that is coming, according to Mrs Kalfakis, is the ability to optimize the lanterns in real time, with the aim of reducing traffic, which can also be done through Google platform using information provided by cars, taxis and media.