Taxi drivers in Athens, Greece, will stage a 48-hour strike on February 3 and 4, gathering at their headquarters before marching to Maximos Mansion, the official seat of the Prime Minister of Greece ,to present their demands, according to the Attica Taxi Drivers’ Union. Through this mobilization, the union is pushing for changes in transport policy that it says threaten the financial sustainability of the profession and force a rapid shift to electric vehicles without the necessary groundwork.
The union calls for a gradual move toward electrification that matches the real capacity of the charging network. It also demands fast chargers at taxi ranks, insurance coverage for electric vehicle batteries, and a revision of the reduced minimum rental price for zero-emission chauffeur-driven vehicles.
Greek taxi drivers push back on mandatory electrification
New regulations taking effect on January 1, 2027 will require every newly licensed professional passenger vehicle in the Athens and Thessaloniki metropolitan areas to produce zero emissions.
At the same time, authorities will allow chauffeur-driven zero-emission vehicles in those cities to operate with a minimum rental charge of 50 euros instead of today’s 90 euros.
Drivers argue that this mix of compulsory electrification and lower minimum fares will distort competition and weaken the traditional taxi market. Union officials also accuse the deputy transport minister of promoting measures that damage the sector.
Charging network seen as inadequate
The union argues that today’s charging network cannot support a large scale transition to electric taxis.
Its figures show that only about 250 taxis will switch to electric models in 2026, a number it considers purely symbolic. It rejects claims of 100,000 available chargers and estimates that private home chargers number fewer than 10,000.
Across the country, operators can currently access 1,562 public fast chargers rated at 50 kW, while ultra fast 150 kW chargers total just 10 units. As of December 2025, Greece counted 8,757 charging points in total, and network expansion has slowed since 2023.
There are also no dedicated charging stations at taxi ranks in either Athens or Thessaloniki.
Operational and insurance obstacles
An electric taxi needs roughly 1,100 hours of charging each year, which removes the vehicle from service for about one and a half months compared with the minutes required to refuel a conventional car.
Drivers also report that standard insurance policies exclude battery damage, leaving owners to cover potentially high replacement costs themselves.
