The head of the Nicosia taxi drivers’ association complained Wednesday that drivers were losing half their income to pirates and demanded something be done about it.
Panatiotis Kylili and other representatives of the association met with Disy leader Averof Neophytou to discuss the basic problems faced by people in his profession.
Among the subjects touched on were the licensing of cabs, specifically their validity on a district level, a matter being tackled at Larnaca airport, and the burning issue of pirate cabbies.
“Piracy in taxis accounts for around 50 per cent of our turnover,” Kylilis said in response to a question after the meeting, adding that the problem was island-wide with numbers ranging around the same levels in all districts. He said the association was asking for more checks to be carried out in order to combat the illegality.
He mentioned that the delegation had discussed with Neophytou and executives of Disy ways of solving their problems, and that he received promises that the necessary solutions would be promoted.
Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said taxi drivers were small to medium sized businesses and as such, the backbone of the Cyprus economy, adding that the association’s representatives had informed them that there was an encouraging rise in the turnover of their operations in Nicosia and other districts.
Both sides described the meeting as good and constructive. Kylilis concluded ways the public could distinguish if a taxi is legal pointing out that apart from the ‘TAXI’ sign, legitimate taxis also sport yellow number plates, indicate the area in which they operate as well as having a meter within the vehicle.
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