A new proposal by Deputy Minister of Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis to reduce taxi fares on weekends has sparked a strong reaction from the Attica Taxi Drivers’ Union (SATA), prompting the announcement of a 48-hour strike.
The measure, intended to encourage citizens who consume alcohol to take taxis instead of driving under the influence, would reduce fare rates every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, SATA President Thymios Lymberopoulos rejected the proposal outright, calling it both “unacceptable and dangerous.”
“We have made a decision and will go on a 48-hour strike, so next week we will definitely have a 48-hour strike,” Lymberopoulos stated.
In an interview with Parapolitika FM, Lymberopoulos accused the deputy minister of undermining previous negotiations. “Mr. Kyranakis, within two months, altered and took back what we had worked on with Mr. Economou for 9 months,” he said. “Mr. Kyranakis conveyed in the worst possible way, without us having met, mocking us for a month and while I was constantly calling and his manager was reassuring me, that there was no way that any of this would change. He didn’t even want to talk to us.”
Lymberopoulos also criticized the concept of fare subsidies tied to alcohol consumption. “I don’t understand why he said it. Does he want to subsidize and promote alcohol among young people? It’s inconceivable for a minister to say such a thing. These problems cannot be solved by subsidies. He is ridiculing the word “subsidy”; he is ridiculing me as a professional. I have experienced dangerous situations with drunken customers over the years. As the saying goes: “the fool saw the drunk and left.”
He stated that taxi drivers have the right to refuse service to inebriated passengers, citing safety concerns.
The SATA president further accused the minister of political gamesmanship: “We do not accept this proposal under any circumstances. It is a mockery. Mr. Kyranakis made it to distract from the change of positions that we had achieved and were ready to be voted on at the initiative of Mr. Economou. It was bad and dirty political behaviour.””
Opposition party SYRIZA also weighed in. Party spokesperson Giorgos Karameros criticized Deputy Minister of Transport Kyranakis, stating: “Kyranakis canceled all the agreements that taxis drovers had with the government in view of the new traffic regulations (bus lanes, etc.), and cunningly raised the issue of allegedly subsidizing drunk passengers!”
Karameros further alleged that Karameos has ulterior motives. “Since 2017 he has met up with multinational company directors and wants to dismantle the industry, he is promoting Uber and now that he has been given the chair of Transport Minister, he will try to complete the plan.”
