Larnaca taxi drivers will stop working for four hours on Tuesday, January 13th. The strike will be from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. This is a protest organized by the taxi union Poat. It shows a big disagreement between drivers and the Ministry of Transport. More strikes are possible if their problems are not fixed. Drivers say their jobs are in danger. They feel it is about "pure professional survival."
The drivers are unhappy because they have talked with transport officials many times. However, they say no good solutions have been found. The union believes their complaints are not being heard. A main reason for this is ride-hailing apps. These apps are used a lot at Larnaca Airport. Drivers think this is unfair competition. It hurts their businesses. They want the government to enforce taxi rules better. This would make the market fairer.
If the four-hour strike does not bring a good response, Poat has a plan. A 24-hour strike might happen on January 20th. After that, an unlimited strike could start on January 28th. This shows the union is serious. They want to pressure the government until their demands are met. The union said the authorities must take responsibility for more strikes. This is because they did not act.
These strikes will cause problems for travellers. The first four-hour strike will affect taxi services in Larnaca and at the airport. However, longer strikes could stop transport in the city for a long time. This situation shows the problems between old taxi services and new transport apps. The government faces challenges with these new technologies. The result of this fight will affect other taxi disputes in Cyprus. It will also affect how people can travel.