Filenews 26 March 2025
Taxi drivers of the Limassol District are going on a four-hour work stoppage today, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., following a decision of the Board of Directors of the Pancyprian Federation of Urban Taxis (POAT), in the context of a protest against chronic problems of the profession.
The taxi drivers closed the roundabout of Agios Nikolaos, then they will close the roundabout of the casino that goes to Trachoni and then they will return back to the old Port. Dinos Constantinou, President of the Pancyprian Taxi Federation POAT, in his statements at the protest, spoke of the impossibility of fighting the issue of piracy and stressed that if in three weeks there are no mobilizations with strict controls by the competent authorities, drivers will proceed to dynamic measures throughout Cyprus, even closing the airports.
The Federation stressed that the goal is not to inconvenience the public, but to highlight the serious problems that concern the sector. As stated in a relevant announcement, the choice of the time of the stop was made so as not to affect students and employees, while Limassol was chosen so as not to affect traffic at airports.
POAT denounces the uncontrolled action of "pirates" in roads, squares, ports and airports, which, as it claims, deprive professional taxi drivers of income, operate illegally, without payment of contributions, taxes and VAT, and without measures being taken by the competent state services.
The Federation immediately calls for policing, supervision and control for undeclared work, while it warns with more dynamic pan-Cypriot measures if there is no response. As reported, in three weeks an extraordinary General Assembly will be convened for decision-making.
Ministry of Transport: Taxi drivers themselves are part of the problem
Sources in the Ministry of Transport said that this situation is not new, as the problem of piracy in taxis has existed for years. However, as they note, in 2023 and 2024, the Department of Road Transport (TOM) strengthened efforts to tackle this delinquency. As part of campaigns, checks were carried out on more than 10,000 taxis in 2023 and over 11,000 in 2024, with the aim of recording violations and imposing sanctions on violators.
The checks resulted in the reporting of many drivers and the strengthening of the effort to prevent illegal activities. In 2023, a total of 138 taxi drivers were reported, while in 2024 171 drivers. In 2023, there were 44 complaints about taximeters, while in 2024 there were 55. Some drivers were driving without or with expired professional licenses, endangering transport safety. In addition, expired registration licences and certificates of suitability are also common offences, with consequences for road safety. According to the same sources, these illegalities lead to passenger dissatisfaction and affect the credibility of the profession.
Despite the important steps taken, it is pointed out, "urban taxi drivers continue to worry about their protection from the organized piracy circuit, which deprives them of their income and degrades the quality of the services they offer, ignoring the fact that, taking into account the above data, they themselves may also be part of the problem. Despite the fact that efforts to combat piracy must be stepped up, it seems de facto that taxi drivers themselves are harming the credibility and safety of the industry with their actions."
