Happy XXX day! and getting around Athens city by taxi

Happy Canada Day! across the Atlantic Ocean.

Happy No-Smoking-in-Public-Place Day starts today in Greece.

See my previous post about how Greeks disobey existing laws, and how the government does not enforce existing laws.

See you in court, European court if necessary:

In September, I am going to take to court any school bus drivers that smoke while on duty, so the school had better enforce its employer’s authority when signing contracts with the school bus drivers.

As a result of the new no smoking in public place law, some people hope that one factor of the possible causes for the forest fires in Greece is removed. Sometimes the fire starts from the un-extinguished cigarette end. But I hope (but doubt) it will help.

Getting around Athens by taxi

And some old but informative news from early May this year about the current taxi-fares in Athens

Taxi fare charges are now 48 cents (from 36 cents) per kilometer. The next increase will be in November, when the rate will rise to 60 cents, and the final hike is due in May 2010, when it will reach 72 cents. The minimum charge for a cab ride, 3.80 euros.

But don’t complain because Athens taxi is among the cheapest I have seen in many cities in the world. And when I do take a taxi in Athens, I always pay the taxi driver 1 Euro more than they ask (a small tips) because they are usually up from very early in the morning like 5 am, it’s a hard job for them and the city’s streets are among the most complicated in the world, the traffic and the air quality are all among the worst in the world. So, I don't want to be stingy.

Occasionally I have to go downtown to get things done, so I have to either take the public transit or take the taxi because if I drive, where am I going to park?

If you call taxi to come to your hotel or come to pick you up at a certain location, the charge is more expensive though. But sometimes you do need to call in advance and pay extra because if you wait until the time you are travelling to call for a taxi, you may find no taxi in your area, and they will tell you to call in the next 10 minutes to check again if there is any taxi available. You willl end up on the phone every 10 to 15 minutes trying to find a taxi, a waste of time and telephone charges!

You can read all about the taxi-related info (once you are on the site, choose topic on the left and click it) but the list of fares are not up to date.

Also nice to know is that a government initiative that also came into effect in May offers half-price tickets on the metro, bus, trolley bus and tram for under-18s and over-65s as well as foreign students visiting from abroad.So your passports should be able to prove your age.