Taxi drivers across Cyprus walked off the job at 06:00 on 20 January, paralysing legal taxi services at Larnaca and Paphos international airports as well as key tourist zones in Limassol. The Pan-Cyprian Urban Taxi Guild says the action is aimed at forcing authorities to crack down on what drivers call ‘uncontrolled passenger-transport apps’ that facilitate pickups by unlicensed vehicles. Union leaders warn that if the Transport Ministry does not act, an indefinite strike will follow on 27 January. (cyprus-mail.com)
Queues quickly formed outside the arrivals halls as arriving passengers scrambled for alternative transport. Hermes Airports, the operator of both gateways, advised travellers to pre-book licensed shuttle buses or arrange private transfers. Several multinational firms with regional headquarters in Cyprus rerouted airport pickup requests to vetted chauffeur companies, absorbing higher costs to keep visiting executives mobile.
Ride-hailing platforms operating on the island insist that their drivers hold correct permits, but taxi unions claim enforcement gaps allow ‘pirate’ cars to undercut fares, jeopardising both safety and livelihoods. The dispute is the latest flash-point in a multi-year regulatory battle over how EU-level rules on app-based transport should be transposed into Cypriot law.
![24-Hour Taxi Strike Shuts Down Airport Pick-Ups, Threatening Wider Travel Disruption]()
From a global-mobility perspective, the strike poses immediate challenges: expatriate staff returning from business trips may face long waits, while assignees scheduled to arrive this week should receive revised ground-transport instructions. Corporate travel managers are advised to monitor union announcements closely and to build contingency budgets for private transfers in the event of a prolonged shutdown.
For international employers grappling with both the strike and routine entry requirements, VisaHQ’s Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) can streamline visa procurement and document legalisation for assignees and visiting executives, allowing mobility teams to coordinate travel paperwork even while they juggle shifting ground-transport options.
Longer-term, the standoff could accelerate government plans to introduce a unified licensing database and electronic verification system for all commercial passenger vehicles—an upgrade that, once in place, would give corporate mobility teams a real-time compliance tool when arranging airport transport.
Queues quickly formed outside the arrivals halls as arriving passengers scrambled for alternative transport. Hermes Airports, the operator of both gateways, advised travellers to pre-book licensed shuttle buses or arrange private transfers. Several multinational firms with regional headquarters in Cyprus rerouted airport pickup requests to vetted chauffeur companies, absorbing higher costs to keep visiting executives mobile.
Ride-hailing platforms operating on the island insist that their drivers hold correct permits, but taxi unions claim enforcement gaps allow ‘pirate’ cars to undercut fares, jeopardising both safety and livelihoods. The dispute is the latest flash-point in a multi-year regulatory battle over how EU-level rules on app-based transport should be transposed into Cypriot law.
From a global-mobility perspective, the strike poses immediate challenges: expatriate staff returning from business trips may face long waits, while assignees scheduled to arrive this week should receive revised ground-transport instructions. Corporate travel managers are advised to monitor union announcements closely and to build contingency budgets for private transfers in the event of a prolonged shutdown.
For international employers grappling with both the strike and routine entry requirements, VisaHQ’s Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) can streamline visa procurement and document legalisation for assignees and visiting executives, allowing mobility teams to coordinate travel paperwork even while they juggle shifting ground-transport options.
Longer-term, the standoff could accelerate government plans to introduce a unified licensing database and electronic verification system for all commercial passenger vehicles—an upgrade that, once in place, would give corporate mobility teams a real-time compliance tool when arranging airport transport.
