Urban taxi drivers threaten indefinite strike from Tuesday

Urban taxi drivers warned on Monday they would start an indefinite strike on Tuesday if problems leading to the sector’s “total destruction” were not immediately addressed.

In a letter to state authorities dated March 4, the drivers’ said their “tolerance, patience and good faith have been exhausted”.

The letter was sent to the ministers of transport and justice, parliament, the police, the road transport department and the licencing authority, holding them responsible for any inconvenience or impact on transport, tourism and the economy from a possible strike.

Drivers had given the authorities a four-day deadline to submit their responses in writing, outlining how they proposed to solve the problems.

Their main complaint is the activity of private vehicles operating as “pirate” taxis without a professional licence, as well as “luring” passengers at key urban points, ports and airports.

These practices, drivers said, violated the status of urban taxis and created unfair competition.

The letter also mentioned various websites that advertised taxi services without a licence.

“The sector has buckled under unbearable operational costs, due to the pirates, who have taken a large percentage of our pie,” they said.

The additional competition caused problems at designated taxi areas at the airports in Larnaca and Paphos, they said, requesting access to the bus lanes at departures for faster drop offs.

Referring to the taxi pools in particular, the drivers said they lacked essential infrastructure, which was “unthinkable and insulting”. Such amenities, they said, were rubbish bins, recycling bins and toilets.

They also raised a series of questions concerning legislation, licencing, the investigation of violations and offences, and called for the immediate implementation of the law, the termination of unfair competition and the protection of the professionals.