Taxi

Some 200 striking taxi drivers joined a motorcade across Athens on Tuesday, adding to the already considerable woes faced by commuters by the stoppage.

Athens taxi drivers have announced mobilizations following the decision by the Attica Taxi Drivers Union to hold a 48-hour strike on February 27 and 28. The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the Administrative Council on Wednesday. 

Participants in the "Ride of Love" initiative take a photo in front of the Christmas tree on downtown Athens' Syntagma Square on Thursday night.

Athens taxi drivers joined a nationwide cabbies' strike on Tuesday morning and will be off the clock for 48 hours and possibly longer if a contentious tax reform bill delays being voted in Parliament until Thursday.

Taxi drivers across Greece have declared 48-hour strikes this week in protest at the government's new tax bill, which, they say, puts an undue burden on freelancers and self-employed professionals, and deals a blow to their sector. 

Taxi drivers in Athens will be on strike for 48 hours on December 5-6 and in Thessaloniki for four days on December 4-8, their respective unions have announced.

The unions are responding to government measures aimed at combating tax evasion among the self-employed.

In a deadly traffic accident in Thessaloniki on Wednesday afternoon, a city bus crossed to the opposite traffic lane sweeping away a motorbike, a taxi and another car. The woman driving the motorbike has died.

The bus driver as well as the drivers of the other two vehicles have been injured and transferred to the hospital.

Amid complaints of citizens against taxi drivers favoring tourists over them, refusing short-distance rides, or misbehaving, Istanbul police have suspended several taxi drivers from traffic for 10 days with heavy fines due to non-compliance with regulations during an inspection in Eminönü district.

Public transport and taxi prices in Istanbul have been raised by 51.52 percent while the short distance fee of yellow taxis has been hiked by 75 percent.

An official from the Istanbul Taxi Professionals Chamber has refuted claims circulating on social media that the minimum fare for taxis has been increased to 75 Turkish Liras in Istanbul.

Despite the denial, local media reports indicate that some taxi drivers have already begun implementing the alleged hike, prompting concerns among passengers.