According to reports on Friday, seven of the taxi drivers had rigged their registers so they could not issue receipts, while the remaining three had (directly and purposely) interfered with their meters so they could overcharge customers.
The arrests were made at the Kiffissos intercity bus station, at the port of Piraeus and other parts of Athens.
Editor's Note - The Kiffissos intercity bus station as well as the port of Piraeus has "glikes" which in English translates to organized syndicates. These syndicates operate much in the same way; they do not allow other taxis to operate in these areas which they feel is "their territory" and they purposely overcharge tourists who use both the port and the bus station to travel around the country -by rigging their meters-. They also purposely take on more than one destination during a cabby run and they do this so that they can make more money. These taxi owners behind these glikes should be arrested and their licenses should be revoked. They shame the Greek people and the tourism industry of Greece. Our advice to anyone visiting Greece -and who is need of a taxi- is to exit the bus station and/or port area and find a taxi on the main road. Also it would be wise to ask your hotel, travel guide, tour operator etc... about the general cost of commuting around Athens. Be warned that this phenomena has not only plagued Athens, but it is also very profound on the Greek islands as well, especially on the more popular islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, etc.
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