Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had the opportunity to take a journey on the Athens Metro this Wednesday morning (10/12) with Panagiotis and Petros, two fellow citizens with disabilities who hold the new plastic version of the Disability Card, witnessing firsthand the improved benefits the card provides to its holders. It should be noted that the new plastic card further facilitates the daily transportation of people with disabilities, particularly their established right to free travel on public transport, as cardholders can use it directly instead of a ticket at validation points to enter mass transportation without charge, no longer requiring medical certificates or other documentation to obtain unlimited travel cards.
The plastic version can be used on Athens public transport and Thessaloniki buses, while existing passes remain valid. Free entry to Thessaloniki Metro is granted by simply showing the card. The same free travel rights now extend to companions of people with disabilities who require assistance. The Disability Card, of any type, also ensures free entry to museums and archaeological sites under the Ministry of Culture.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Domna Michailidou, Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou, and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis, had the opportunity to see the excellent accessibility infrastructure of the Metro and boarded a train with Petros and Panagiotis, while also conversing with employees.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: An elementary gesture of dignity toward our fellow citizens
Upon exiting the Metro, Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the following statement: “I am very pleased because today, together with Petros and Panagiotis, we witnessed in practice how this beautiful European Disability Card works, which allows our fellow citizens with disabilities to enter the Metro and mass transportation without having to show many different documents.”
“It is, as the Minister said, an elementary gesture of dignity toward our fellow citizens, to improve their accessibility and thus strengthen their rights.”
“It’s worth mentioning that the disability card was institutionalized in the 1990s – just to show the pace at which the Greek state sometimes moves. Today, however, it becomes reality and is just one of many reforms we’re making to help our fellow citizens with disabilities.”
“The Personal Assistant is another reform that has changed the lives of many fellow citizens, allowing them to leave home, integrate normally into social and economic life, and we continue working so you can feel you have exactly the same rights as all other Greek citizens. So I’m returning the card and hope you use it frequently. Thank you very much.”
Domna Michailidou: A card that ensures dignity in daily life
For her part, Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Domna Michailidou stated: “With great joy we use the Metro today, together with the Prime Minister, the two co-responsible Ministers, Mr. Kyranakis and Mr. Papastergiou, and of course two good friends now, Panagiotis and Petros. But how? With the new card.”
“The plastic card that people with disabilities now apply for, so they can use it for free to enter the Metro, all Athens mass transport, all Thessaloniki buses, and all cultural sites, without needing all the past hassles.”
“Many times, together with ESAMEA, parent associations, and disability associations, we’ve spoken of this card as a dignity card. A card that ensures dignity in daily life and, especially for some more invisible disabilities, eliminates the need to open their papers, their files, and prove what? What has already been certified: the difference in their daily lives.”
“So, as we should, we make their lives, their daily routine, and that of their families and personal assistants a little easier.”
The upgraded capabilities offered by the Disability Card are part of a broader set of policies aimed at equal participation of people with disabilities in both the job market and social life.
Although the Disability Card was institutionalized in 1996, it was effectively implemented in 2023. Besides its modern plastic form, it’s available digitally through wallet.gov and in printed format with electronic verification capability. Since 2023, the Disability Registry operates, incorporating all individuals with disability certification from KEPA centers. Applications for card issuance, regardless of format, are submitted through the National Disability Portal (epan.gov.gr).
Other implemented programs include the “Personal Assistant” program for finding personal assistants who support people with disabilities and their families in daily activities, and “Home Accessibility,” through which beneficiaries receive subsidies to upgrade accessibility in their homes or professional spaces.
