The meeting between taxi drivers and Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis proved fruitless during today’s first day of their three-day strike action. Their demonstration in Athens began around 10:00 AM at the junction of Kavala Avenue and Spyros Patsis Street, with drivers later forming a convoy toward the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
Read more: Taxi strike: Thymios Lyberopoulos warns of protests during peak tourist season (Images & video)
Taxi strike: SATA warns of “marathon” of protests
There they held a meeting with Mr. Kyranakis, which according to reports was conducted in particularly heated tones and ultimately proved fruitless, as in the past. The drivers declare they are ready for a “marathon” of protests, with SATA president Thymios Lyberopoulos warning that the actions will continue even during the start of the tourist season. Leaving the meeting, Thymios Lyberopoulos used harsh language, saying that “for us, Mr. Kyranakis no longer exists” and that he expects something from the Maximos Mansion as a last hope.
The sector’s main demands:
- Extension of the mandatory transition of taxis to electric propulsion, which must occur by 2026 for vehicles being replaced with new ones. New vehicles must be electric. Drivers are requesting an extension, even until 2035.
- Immediate withdrawal of Article 52 from the bill to be submitted to Parliament, which according to drivers assigns taxi transport work to private cars, fatally damaging the sector. According to SATA, all regulations contained in this scandalously favor rental cars with drivers.
- Allow taxis that already have passengers to use bus lanes. As drivers argue, taxis provide transportation, they are public use vehicles, so they should be able to use bus lanes.
They also demand the submission of general criminal records for issuing or renewing special taxi driving licenses. Taxi drivers will hold a convoy to the airport tomorrow, Wednesday, while on Thursday they will march on foot to the Maximos Mansion.
