Double standards?
I am trying to remember an occasion when a taxi driver – whose services I had availed myself of in order to reach my intended destination speedily, or at least more quickly than via any means of public transport – actually asked my permission before trawling a second, third, and sometimes even fourth customer into the cab! Has a taxi driver ever asked my permission to crawl behind buses and trolleys in search of other passengers? The only question I have ever been asked during «my» ride (and this, when it comes, is rhetorical) is whether I «would mind if we just go via…» – this generally occurs once the second passenger is already seated in the cab, and is delivered with ostensible politeness toward me and compassion for the new customer. However, despite the propensity for taxi drivers to act decisively and without discussion, they are suddenly revealing themselves to be eager for dialogue. Speaking in light of this week’s strike action by taxi drivers, the president of the Attica Taxi Owners’ Union, Thymios Lymberopoulos, said that protesters are complaining that the government is implementing new measures «without having discussed them in essence» with representatives of their sector. Now that their interests are being affected, normally intractable taxi drivers have discovered dialogue. Why can they not embark on a similar process when confronted with others’ interests, such as those of their customers?
