The government is going ahead with the complete deregulation of the public transport sector, but is also taking measures to prevent monopolies.
Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Yiannis Ragousis made the announcement during a briefing to the members of the PASOK Party’s Parliamentary Work Sector on the terms of the new bill being promoted regarding the deregulation of the taxi profession.
Ragousis told PASOK’s members that in the bill being promoted there will also be terms concerning trucks, stressing that “the opening [of the profession] will be complete, integrated, immediate and with rules that will not allow the creation of cartels.”
With this move the three-year transitional period for the deregulation of trucks and public use water trucks is in essence coming to an end.
Meanwhile, thousands of striking taxi drivers, who are up in arms over plans to liberalise their sector, rallied outside Parliament on Tuesday evening in a protest marred by occasional scuffles with police.
The cabbies returned to work on Wednesday after a 48-hour strike, but according to Thimios Liberopoulos, the president of the taxi drivers union (SATA), new strike action will take place this coming week.
During his speech at the rally Liberopoulos threatened those MPs who intend to vote for the deregulation of the sector, adding that their treatment will be similar to that of Minister Yiannis Ragousis.
Source: Athens News