Location-based software

A group of taxi drivers gathered early on March 12 outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse to protest against Uber ahead of the second hearing of a lawsuit opened against the transport company by the United Taxi Drivers Association. 

Shots were fired at Uber vehicle in Istanbul’s Küçükçekmece district late on March 10, as tensions between taxi drivers and Uber drivers continue to rise in the city.

Reports concerning an attack on Tuesday by a group of protesting taxi drivers against an individual suspected of offering Uber services were shocking.

A draft bill expected to be debated in Parliament in the coming days imposes a series of restrictions on ride-hailing apps such as Uber that will make it difficult for those companies to gain a strong foothold in the Greek market.

A criminal gang that used taxis, trolleys and even the Uber ride-hailing service to distribute drugs to the doors of their customers around Attica has been broken up in Exarchia, central Athens, police said on Friday. Among the 21 suspects arrested were two individuals who had been detained during university riots in 2010 in Zografou.

Tensions between regular taxi drivers and Uber drivers have been brewing for some time in Istanbul, but have recently reached a new high as reports emerge of a group of taxi drivers who allegedly hunt down and beat up Uber drivers at night in the country’s most populous city.

Taxi drivers surround a vehicle during a protest against taxi-hailing apps such as Uber in Athens on Tuesday. They staged a walkout from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to protest the government's failure to pass a bill restricting the operation of rival services. During the walkout, taxi drivers stopped several motorists perceived to be offering such services, kicking their cars and threatening them.

Greek train routes were suspended for the day Tuesday as railway workers staged a 24-hour strike to protest the privatization of the rolling stock maintenance company and a lack of staff.

The strike also affected the section of the Athens metro serving the capital city's international airport.

Hundreds of taxi drivers marched in central Athens on Tuesday to protest at what they called an "invasion" by Uber, and attacked passing cars they thought were being used by the ride-hailing service.

Athens will be without taxi services for nine hours on Tuesday as drivers will walk off the job from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in protest at what they call unfair competition from Uber ride-hailing services, Ekathimerini reported.