Taxicab

Reports concerning an attack on Tuesday by a group of protesting taxi drivers against an individual suspected of offering Uber services were shocking.

A draft bill expected to be debated in Parliament in the coming days imposes a series of restrictions on ride-hailing apps such as Uber that will make it difficult for those companies to gain a strong foothold in the Greek market.

Tensions between regular taxi drivers and Uber drivers have been brewing for some time in Istanbul, but have recently reached a new high as reports emerge of a group of taxi drivers who allegedly hunt down and beat up Uber drivers at night in the country’s most populous city.

Taxi drivers surround a vehicle during a protest against taxi-hailing apps such as Uber in Athens on Tuesday. They staged a walkout from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to protest the government's failure to pass a bill restricting the operation of rival services. During the walkout, taxi drivers stopped several motorists perceived to be offering such services, kicking their cars and threatening them.

A court in Kozani, northern Greece, on Friday handed two life sentences to a special guard of the Greek Police (ELAS) after finding him guilty of the murder of a 52-year-old taxi driver in a rural area near Kastoria.

Nearly 150 acts of illegal passenger transport in the area of ​​Sofia Airport have been made since the beginning of the year. This was reported by the National Police, which conducted the inspections together with the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration".

A taxi crisis has tormented residents and guests of the capital in recent weeks, Darik reports. Waiting for a dispatcher call can take hours. There is a shortage of taxis every year between the student holiday and Ivanovden, the chairman of Taxi Union Kiril Rizov told Darik.

Taxi drivers in Sofia are preparing to protest today. Industry wants to raise tariffs. Yellow car drivers insist on a minimum daily cost for passenger transport of BGN 1. They want the night rate to be 1.14 leva. 20% of taxis are blocked because of bureaucracy, say the industry. Currently, large companies are traveling at BGN 0.79 per day and at BGN 0.90 per night.

Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis said on Wednesday that he felt "totally vindicated" regarding his stance on ride-hailing service Uber after the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled that it should be regulated like a taxi company and not a technology service.

The only ambulance of the Razgrad hospital was leased to a taxi company, and at least one other specialized car was sold by the previous management of the hospital. This was announced by the new executive director of the hospital, Dr Gecho Zhekov, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.