Forty‑Eight Hour Taxi Strikes Hit Greek Cities

The news in Greek

1. απεργία  (f.)
   έντονη διαμαρτυρία των εργαζομένων που σταματούν τη δουλειά τους για να ζητήσουν καλύτερες συνθήκες ή δικαιώματα ↩︎
2. διαμαρτύρομαι
   εκφράζω με λόγια ή πράξεις ότι δεν μου αρέσει κάτι και ότι δεν το θεωρώ σωστό ή δίκαιο ↩︎
3. κυβέρνηση  (f.)
   ομάδα ανθρώπων που έχει την πολιτική εξουσία σε μια χώρα και παίρνει αποφάσεις για όλους ↩︎
4. μεταφορά  (f.)
   η κίνηση ανθρώπων ή πραγμάτων από ένα μέρος σε ένα άλλο με αυτοκίνητα, λεωφορεία, τρένα, πλοία κτλ. ↩︎
5. ανταγωνισμός  (m.)
   η κατάσταση όπου δύο ή περισσότερα άτομα ή εταιρείες προσπαθούν να είναι καλύτεροι ή να κερδίσουν περισσότερους πελάτες ↩︎
6. ιδιωτικός
   που ανήκει σε έναν ή λίγους ανθρώπους και όχι στο κράτος ή στο δημόσιο ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Why are many taxi drivers in Athens and Thessaloniki on strike?

Question 2: How does the taxi strike affect local people and tourists?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
απεργία  (f.)	strike
διαμαρτύρομαι	to protest / to complain
κυβέρνηση  (f.)	government
μεταφορά  (f.)	transport
ανταγωνισμός  (m.)	competition
ιδιωτικός	private

Read the full story

Taxi services in Greece are facing major disruption as drivers in Athens and Thessaloniki launch coordinated strike action in response to a planned government transport law. The walkouts focus on proposed changes affecting taxis, private hire vehicles and taxation.

In the region of Attica, which includes Athens, members of the Attica Taxi Drivers’ Union (ΣΑΤΑ) have begun a 48‑hour strike. The stoppage started at 06:00 on Tuesday 20 January 2026 and is scheduled to end at 06:00 on Thursday 22 January. The action follows a three‑day strike by taxi drivers the previous week, indicating a continued escalation of their protest.

During the strike, union leaders are calling on drivers to attend a large meeting at the Peristeri Exhibition Centre in western Athens. The gathering, set for 10:00 on Tuesday, aims to explain what the union describes as the “real points” of a draft bill that has reportedly been leaked to the sector. According to the announcements, participants will discuss its expected impact on the taxi profession and decide on future forms of mobilisation.

At the same time, taxi drivers in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second‑largest city, have declared a separate 24‑hour strike for Wednesday 21 January. Their stoppage is due to run from 05:00 on Wednesday until 05:00 on Thursday. The local taxi association says its main concerns include electric vehicle policy, high charges at a specific airport car park (P5), changes to rules involving criminal records, permanent access to bus lanes for taxis, reforms to what they describe as “imputed” (presumptive) taxation, and what they call illegal appropriation of transport work by other operators.

Thessaloniki drivers plan to assemble with their vehicles at 10:30 on Wednesday on Antonis Tritsis Street, near the basketball arena of the PAOK sports club (“Palataki”). From there, they intend to hold a motorcade to Thessaloniki Airport and then continue to the Ministry of Macedonia–Thrace to present their demands.

Across both cities, taxi unions list a similar set of key issues. They oppose what they call a “violent transition” to electromobility, arguing that a rapid move to electric taxis would be too costly and difficult for many drivers. They also ask for a clear legal framework defining the roles of traditional taxis and private cars with drivers, a category that can include app‑based or company‑run services. According to union statements, current and planned rules create conditions of “unfair competition” and excessive freedom for large multinational companies operating in passenger transport.

Another central demand concerns taxation. Taxi representatives criticise what they describe as “presumptive” or “imputed” taxation, claiming that the existing system treats them harshly and does not reflect their real income. They also call for guaranteed access to bus lanes for taxis carrying passengers, arguing that this would improve journey times and the quality of service for customers.

In strongly worded announcements, the Attica union accuses the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of choosing a path of “non‑transparency” and failing to engage in genuine dialogue with the sector. The union claims the ministry does not listen or make corrections to the draft legislation and instead “simply imposes” its decisions. It describes the planned bill as “fragmentary” and says the strikes are a necessary “road of resistance” against what members see as the downgrading of their profession, rushed law‑making and a political attitude that takes taxi drivers for granted.

The government’s full position on the disputed draft law has not been detailed in the announcements released by the taxi unions. Officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport have not been quoted directly in the available reports, and no official response to the latest strike call is included in the sources used here. As a result, only the unions’ interpretation of the bill and of the ministry’s behaviour is currently reflected in public union statements.

For residents and visitors in Athens and Thessaloniki, the strikes are likely to mean fewer options for urban and airport transport during the affected hours. Travellers may need to rely more on buses, metro systems, trams or private vehicles. The situation may also affect tourists arriving at or leaving from airports, particularly those unfamiliar with local public transport alternatives.

Talks between the government and the taxi sector may continue as the legislative process evolves. For now, the strikes highlight growing tension over how Greece will regulate future urban mobility, the role of digital platforms, and the cost of environmental and tax reforms for small professional drivers.

Info: ‘Greek Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Greek’, a language school dedicated to teaching Greek through various types of online courses and resources for Greek language learning.