When modernization is ‘out of order’

A pair of Australian tourists were astonished to hear that their cab ride from the port of Piraeus to the central Athens neighborhood of Pangrati was going to cost them a whopping 350 euros. They protested until the driver reduced the fare to 250 euros - by no means a reasonable amount. They paid him but kept his license plate number and reported him. The incident did not end there because Airbnb, through which the tourists had found their accommodation, stepped in, so the driver apologized and returned the money.

The taxi driver who told me about this particular incident also spoke of the notorious "mafia" of cabbies who wait outside ports, airports and intercity bus stations, fishing for unsuspecting tourists and travelers. No one, my driver assured me, can do anything about stopping their shenanigans, not their union (SATA), not the police and not the municipal...