Greece’s taxi operators are seeking legislation to finally allow cameras to be installed inside all cabs, arguing that the measure would help protect drivers from assaults, threats and robberies – similar to now common-place security measures in other countries.
The request comes amid a year of repeated industrial actions by taxi unions over what the union claims is unfair taxation, competition from ride-hailing platforms, access to bus lanes and the transition to electric vehicles.
The national federation of professional taxi owners and drivers has sent a letter to the deputy transport minister and the ministries of citizen protection and justice, as well as the country’s data protection authority, calling for a new legal framework governing the installation and operation of in-car video recording systems.
The federation argues that taxi drivers routinely transport unknown passengers at all hours, including in the early morning hours, exposing them to risks that require institutional rather than individual protection.
The union proposes that recordings be used exclusively to prevent and investigate serious incidents, with clear rules governing when cameras can operate, what they can record and how footage can be accessed. Passengers would have to be informed through appropriate notices, while recordings would be retained only for a reasonable, specified period unless evidence was needed for a particular investigation.
Access would be restricted to authorized individuals and competent authorities. The federation also wants technical safeguards against unauthorized access, copying, alteration or public distribution of footage, as well as a ban on using recordings for commercial purposes or unrelated monitoring of drivers.
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The demand follows months of disputes between taxi professionals and the government. Drivers have staged repeated strikes over presumptive taxation, competition from chauffeur-driven rental cars and multinational platforms, and the requirement to transition to electric vehicles.