Instead of €40, the euro demanded €175: in Athens, a taxi driver was detained for an inflated fare

Athens police detained 21 year old taxi driver who demanded €175 from customers for a trip from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” to the center of the capital. The amount is more than 4 times the established tariff.

The arrest took place on the morning of July 3 in the center of Athens. The driver was stopped by O.E.Π.Τ.Α officers. Attica Traffic Police Department. A case has been filed against him on charges of charging more than the permitted fare.

€175 instead of official €40

For travel between Athens airport and the central area of ​​the city, a fixed fare applies.

• During the day, from 05:00 to midnight, the cost is €40.
• At night, from midnight to 05:00, the tariff is €55.

These amounts include the stipulated surcharges and should not become a subject of creative bargaining with the passenger, especially with the tourist who has just gotten off the plane and has not yet realized that they are already trying to introduce him to the Greek economy in its most predatory form.

Thus, the amount of €175 exceeded even the nightly fixed rate by more than three times, and the daytime rate by more than four times.

The driver was handed over to the prosecutor

After the arrest, the 21-year-old driver was taken to the competent prosecutor’s office along with the case materials prepared by the Athens Traffic Police Unit.

The investigation concerns a specific episode of overpayment. The driver’s guilt will be determined in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.

Why do such cases particularly hit Athens?

Airport taxi remains one of the first services tourists encounter after arriving in Greece. That is why cases of overpricing damage not only passengers, but also the reputation of the country.

For a person who arrived in Athens late in the evening, with children, luggage or without knowledge of the language, taking a taxi seems to be the easiest and safest option. But when a fixed price of €40–55 suddenly turns into €175, this is no longer an “unfortunate misunderstanding”, but a very specific scheme to siphon money from people who are in a vulnerable position.

What is important for passengers to remember

• A trip from Athens airport to the central part of the city has a fixed price: €40 during the day and €55 at night.
• The fare is determined by the time of arrival at the destination, and not by the time of boarding the taxi.
• The fixed amount includes applicable fees and surcharges.
• The official taxi rank at the airport is located at Gate 3 on the arrivals level.
• Before your trip, you should check with the driver that a fixed fare to the center of Athens applies.
• In case of a dispute, it is useful to save the receipt, car number and driver details.

Editorial comment

The story of €175 is important not only because one driver decided to turn an ordinary trip into a small financial hostage situation. It shows how easy it is for a tourist or a new passenger to be presented with a fait accompli when he is already sitting in the car, tired after the flight and just wants to get to the hotel.

The fixed tariff exists precisely so that there is no game of “how much can you squeeze out of a person with a suitcase.” And when this tariff is more than four times higher, it is no longer a matter of confusion with the route or a night surcharge.

The police were right to intervene, but such cases should not become news only after an arrest. For the tourist capital, it is much more important that the passenger does not need luck, knowledge of Greek tariffs and stress resistance to simply get from the airport to the center.

Athens earns billions from tourism, and it’s strange that some people still think it’s normal to start a visitor’s acquaintance with the city by trying to charge him an amount that could almost pay for another plane ticket.

Sources: ΕΛ.ΑΣ.; Athens International Airport official information on fixed taxi fares.

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