The nationwide traffic warning strike is not only frustrating for passengers.
Taxi drivers also have to deal with traffic jams and chaos, says the head of the Munich Taxi Association.
Munich – The big warning strike by the Verdi union and the EVG railway union has largely paralyzed Germany's traffic.
Buses, trains and planes – almost everything has stood still since midnight.
The nationwide failure of local public transport (ÖPNV) is particularly noticeable on the streets.
Many employees have switched to the car to get to work.
If you don't have a car yourself, you have to take a taxi in many cities.
But the mood is tense here too, as Florian Bachmann, executive director of the Munich Taxi Association, explained to
Merkur.de
on Monday morning .
Strike expensive for taxi passengers: “Journeys cost twice as much”
"The traffic situation is chaotic and Munich is one big traffic jam," reports the head of the association on Monday morning via phone from his car.
He just barely fights his way through the traffic in the state capital.
He would have wished for the taxi drivers to have special rights on the day of the strike, so that they could get through better.
“We would like to be able to use bus lanes or ride on the tram lane.
If the buses and trams can't run, then we wouldn't bother anyone.
Having to get stuck in a traffic jam with the others is pretty annoying,” he explains.
But the situation is not only annoying for the drivers.
"The journeys cost the passengers twice as much as usual because we just stand around in traffic jams and can't get through," says Bachmann.
As if the traffic chaos wasn't enough, there are often bad-tempered passengers.
“The atmosphere in the vehicles is obviously not good.
The passengers are also not so happy that they now have to drive a taxi,” explains Bachmann.
Nevertheless, the strike also brings something positive for the taxi drivers: shorter waiting times and higher turnover.
"My colleagues will be happy about that," says Bachmann.
Shortly after the strike was announced: all taxis in Munich were fully booked
On the day of the major strike, everyone who has time is on duty today, explains the head of the taxi association.
The rush was already great in advance.
As soon as the strike was announced on Thursday, all capacities were fully booked within just two hours, as Bachmann found out from the taxi company.
"We couldn't take any more pre-orders all weekend because we can't guarantee that someone will come."
According to Bachmann, many taxi drivers also lack understanding for today's major strike.
"We are also a public domain and nobody fights for us."
List of rubrics: © dpa
