Another very important book has recently been published by the highly active F.I.L.O.S. It is the “History of the Trikala KTEL,” written by Nikolaos Ad. Chelidonis, a retired ticket collector and inspector for KTEL. The book has been included in the Association’s series TEXTS AND STUDIES, no. 29, and comprises 680 densely printed pages.
This unique work, the first of its kind in Greece, is the result of many years of research by the author and a team from F.I.L.O.S., who edited it. The book opens with forewords by the Board of Directors of F.I.L.O.S. (pp. 13–15), the President of Trikala KTEL, Mr. Sot. Vissarakos (pp. 17–18), and the author (pp. 19–20).
The main body of the book is divided into three parts.
PART ONE contains the legislation governing intercity transport (laws, royal and presidential decrees, ministerial decisions) (pp. 21–172), beginning in 1900 with the first legislative provision for transport by motor vehicle (Law ΒΨΞΒ΄ [2762] of 1900). It then covers Law 2119 of 9 May 1952, “On passenger transport by motor buses” (establishing KTEL), and concludes with Presidential Decree 79/2004, “Determining the terms and conditions for the establishment and operation of intercity bus stations and truck stations for the loading and unloading of goods (freight vehicle stations),” and the 2015 “Regulation on the Rights of Passengers on Regular and Occasional Routes Using Public Road Transport (Buses).”
PART TWO, the most important section, concerns “Intercity Transport in the Prefecture of Trikala and the History of Trikala KTEL” (pp. 173–365). More specifically, it comprises the following sections:
INTERCITY TRANSPORT IN THE PREFECTURE OF TRIKALA BEFORE THE WAR AND UP TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRIKALA KTEL (1952) (pp. 173–224).
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST MOTORISTS’ ASSOCIATIONS IN TRIKALA AND THEIR ADMINISTRATIONS (1930–1952) (pp. 225–231).
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRIKALA KTEL (1952) – ELECTIONS AND BOARDS OF DIRECTORS (1952 TO THE PRESENT) (pp. 232–248).
THE HISTORY OF TRIKALA KTEL FROM ITS ESTABLISHMENT (1952) TO THE PRESENT (pp. 249–365). At the end of this section, there is a special tribute to the iconic figure of KTEL, Mitsiaras (Dimitrios Panousios). It lists the names of all the staff who worked in various KTEL departments, the Trikala KTEL bus stations in operation today (2026), the Presidents of Trikala KTEL (1952 to the present), the Presidents of Urban KTEL (1957 to the present), and the sources used by the author.
PART THREE – PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM (pp. 367–680) is of exceptional interest, as it contains 706 photographs, both black-and-white and colour, spanning a period of a century (from the early 1920s to the present). It is divided into the following sections: 1. From 1920 to 1949 (pp. 369–417). 2. From 1950 to 1969 (pp. 418–587). 3. From 1970/72 to 1989 (pp. 588–605). 4. From 1990/92 to 2015 (pp. 605–616). 5. Former Presidents of Trikala KTEL from 1952 to the present (pp. 617–619). 6. KTEL staff (pp. 620–625). 7. KTEL drivers and ticket collectors (pp. 626–635). 8. Unprofitable routes (pp. 636–644). 9. KTEL football team (pp. 645–647). 10. Retired KTEL staff (pp. 648–652). 11. KTEL buses (pp. 653–660). 12. Urban buses (pp. 661–663). 13. The new Trikala KTEL facilities in Rizario (pp. 664–680).
