Minister of Transport at the second government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, talks to Dora Koutrokoi about the upgrading of public transport and the new specially designed vehicles of the OSY<\/b> for free transport persons with disabilities. He also refers to the issue of the waiver of parliamentary immunity of his 13 colleagues on the issue of OPEKEPE and stresses that citizens will judge the government by its work and not by recent polls. <\/p>\nHow do you comment on the selection of your colleagues who abstained from the process of lifting the immunity of the ND MPs? <\/b><\/p>\n
The immunity waiver process is a process in which no question of party discipline could ever be raised. <\/b>This has been a clear government position from the outset and therefore I believe there is no need for further comment on what each individual chose to do based on their conscience. In any case, the imaginative reports by some of the opposition press, discounting “mutiny” <\/b>even on a matter of deep conscience, have been solemnly refuted, not for the first time. As far as I am concerned personally, regardless of whatever legal assessment one may have of the case and of the existence or otherwise of wrongdoing, I stood by the clear position of my colleagues themselves: that their immunity be lifted and that they be brought before their natural judge to prove their innocence. That is something I could not refuse. It is, after all, the same attitude that I have called for myself in the past: equal treatment with every citizen, with no exceptions and no privileges. <\/p>\n
Do you consider the handling of Makarios Lazaridis’ case to be wrong? <\/b><\/p>\n
I don’t believe that there is any more substantial point in continuing this debate. There is already the fact of Mr Lazaridis’ resignation<\/b> and, from there, continuing to wag a finger offers nothing to either the political substance or society. I try to maintain this attitude consistently, regardless of whether it is a member of New Democracy<\/b> or a political opponent from the opposition. When there is a public crisis and the necessary decisions have been made, adherence to personal targeting<\/b> is not helpful. I would prefer to be able to evaluate everyone – including Mr Lazaridis – for their work and contribution. Today, in this portfolio, a very competent colleague, Mr Kavvadas<\/b>, has taken over, and I think that the focus should be on what really matters to citizens: the work that the ministry produces and the solutions that are given, not on events that go back decades.<\/p>\n
Losses have been recorded in recent polls. What’s the reason while you were up? <\/b><\/p>\n
The 2027 election<\/b> will be judged not by where the polls stand today, but by whether the country convinces itself that it has a steady course and a clear plan for the years ahead. For weeks now, the public debate has moved away from issues of day-to-day life and the work being done. We are continuing our work and working every day to provide solutions to society’s problems. Our effectiveness in all these areas will be judged there, at the ballot box, not in a momentary reflection of an indicator. We know that there are many things that citizens would like to see happen more quickly. Unfortunately, there are no magic wands, and every little thing that can make a positive contribution to resolving an issue takes effort, organisation, and hard work to achieve. We don’t use this as an excuse, but as motivation to run even faster. At the ballot box, what we will ask of the people is that they judge us harshly but fairly. <\/b>To assess whether in recent years Greece has become stronger and whether the alternatives given can provide stable and credible governance.<\/p>\n
You stand by your question about the way those involved are being treated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office;<\/b><\/p>\n
So why has immunity been requested for New Democracy MPs but not for opposition MPs? Clearly, I insist, because we are not discussing here a partisan debate, but the need to have a single measure of judgment against everyone. There are Members of the New Democracy for whom immunity has been lifted without their personal conversation even appearing in the file. There is a case of an MP whose immunity was lifted because a colleague in his office, without making a request or exerting pressure, simply forwarded a citizen’s email to the OPEKEPE.<\/b> At the same time, in the file forwarded last year by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and from what has been made public, there are dialogues involving opposition MPs. It mentions, for example, a PASOK MP from Crete, who, with full knowledge of the irregularity of the request, is allegedly seeking service for a constituent. A similar dialogue exists for a SYRIZA MP, with no request for a waiver of immunity. At the same time, the dossier also refers to a former minister and SYRIZA presidential candidate, with whose intervention biologicals were allegedly paid outside the program. Therefore, the question is simple and perfectly legitimate: why are different weights and measures applied? If justice and the European institutions are to function with credibility, this requires equal treatment for all without political exceptions and without selective severity.<\/p>\n
Mr. Minister, we saw you a few days ago presenting the new specially adapted vehicles of OSI for the free transport of people with disabilities. How substantially does this intervention change the daily lives of our fellow citizens with disabilities and what does it mean for accessibility policy in urban transport overall? <\/b><\/p>\n
Accessibility in practice is something very different from accessibility in words or laws. You can legislate for equal access, but there is a long way from paper to actual vehicles serving real people. That is what we are covering today. Until today, there were only three special service vehicles operating, serving over 3,000 people a year. By increasing the fleet from three to ten vehicles, we are more than doubling the available routes and can meet many more mobility needs for people with mobility and sensory impairments, always free of charge.<\/b> This comes on top of a comprehensive policy we have in place. Transport for people with disabilities on public transport is free, and we have recently linked the Disability Card to the OASA electronic ticket<\/b>, so that people have free access without unnecessary hassle and documentation. At the same time, today, the entire fleet of the TSO has wheelchair ramps and all staff have been trained to be able to properly support passengers with disabilities. This is the real meaning of politics: solving problems that have remained unsolved for years and giving society the service it deserves. <\/p>\n
How is the strengthening of the bus fleet and replacement of old vehicles progressing? <\/b><\/p>\n
Just before Easter<\/b> we welcomed 125 new electric buses<\/b> at the port of Piraeus, which are immediately joining the fleet of OASA and OSI to serve the citizens of Athens daily with more frequent and more reliable services. This delivery completes a very long cycle of renewal that for years has been left in words and is now becoming a reality. With the inclusion of these vehicles, we are renewing 80% of Attica’s bus fleet. In total, 1,076 new buses have already been added to the network – the biggest renewal of urban transport in decades. We are not just changing buses. We are changing the everyday life of the citizen. Fewer breakdowns, more routes, shorter waits and better service. At the same time, we are strengthening the PSO with new drivers and better pay, and we are also moving to effectively protect bus lanes with modern control equipment. The citizen waiting at the bus stop does not need an explanation. He wants his bus to arrive on time. And that is a matter of respect. <\/p>\n
In recent years, the debate on urban transport has focused mainly on new buses, more routes and better service. But you are now opening up the issue of the overall picture of buses in Athens and Thessaloniki, even inviting the citizens themselves to participate in their design. Why do you think that the aesthetic identity of public transport is also so important? <\/b><\/p>\n
For the first time we are giving citizens the opportunity to actively contribute to changing the image of public transport in the country’s two largest cities. Athens and Thessaloniki will acquire a unified and modern visual identity through two open competitions addressed to designers, graphic designers, artists, students, creative agencies and amateur creatives.<\/b> The logic is simple: buses are not just a means of transport. They are part of the everyday experience of the citizen in the city. So we want public transport to emit an image that is modern, clean, recognisable and closer to the citizen. This initiative is part of the overall plan we are implementing for more buses, more drivers and clean bus lanes.<\/b> Upgrading urban transport is not only about functionality; it is also about experience, aesthetics and a relationship of trust with the passenger. By being more outward-looking and involving citizens themselves, we are shaping a new image for public transport. Because when the citizen feels involved, the result becomes more valuable and longer lasting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Constantine Kyranakis’ interview with “Manifesto”.Constantine Kyranakis, deputy minister of transport in the second government of Kyriakos …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}