APART from usual summer attractions, tourists in Ayia Napa this year have additional entertainment in the shape of a war between local taxi drivers and Polish pedi-cabs. Until today, the war has seen eight rickshaws destroyed and two young
Polish employees of the rickshaw business POPOLOPO 7 Ltd beaten up.
POPOLOPO 7 is run by two enterprising Polish students of international relations, Piotr Kudelski and Michal Gawin, and consists of 13 tricycles. It started to operate in Ayia Napa’s main pedestrian zone, Ayia Mavri Street, in the middle of June. It has been particularly attractive among the young foreign crowd attending night clubs in the area. The rickshaws were taking up to three passengers at any time, up and down the street, and charging £2 each, regardless of a distance.
“We were all very happy,” says one of POPOLOPO’s directors, 24-year-old Kudelski.
“We were making money, our employees were making money. It was a good business.”
Unfortunately, since the very beginning, the unexpected competition has caused unhappiness among the local cabbies who on several occasions threatened both the owners of the business and their employees with physical action. The students went to the police and after several conversations, one of the policemen arranged a meeting between them and the representative of the taxi drivers.
“Two weeks ago we met one of the taxi drivers from the group who was causing trouble and made a deal with them,” says Kudelski. “We were to work on Ayia Mavri between 9pm and 2.45am, not to cycle anywhere else, and from 2am till 2.45am, which is when the taxis usually enter the street to collect clients emerging from bars, to give them priority in the street.”
Unfortunately, the deal wasn’t to last, since just a day after reaching it, the local police told Kudelski and his business partner, 22-year-old Gavin that their rickshaws were not allowed to work in Ayia Mavri.
“Next evening, the policemen came and started giving us tickets for cycling in the street, saying that it is closed to motor traffic,” says Gawin. “They wouldn’t listen to our explanations that our bicycles have no engines. And while we were being given these tickets and told to go away, all the taxis were there, and motorbikes and the police wouldn’t react to them. We went to the police station and asked to be informed which regulation says we can’t go by bicycle in this street. We were told to leave. Next day, we went to the town hall. We asked a clerk there if we could cycle in Ayia Mavri. ‘Yes, you can,’ she said. We asked for a written permission and then the lady realised that we were the boys with rickshaws and said that we, in particular, were not permitted. Again, we asked to have it on paper and again they refused. Then we went to our lawyer who said we should not pay the fines because they were illegal.”
“I wrote a letter to the mayor of Ayia Napa and requested an explanation about the fines that the police gave to Michal and Piotr for their rickshaws cycling in Ayia Mavri,” says lawyer Demetris Koutras. “I asked the mayor to tell me if bicycles are allowed in this street or not, and haven’t received an answer yet. I believe they are allowed and the police couldn’t give the boys the tickets. I think the taxi drivers asked a policeman they knew to do so in order to get rid of the competition.”
Unfortunately, due to this action by the police, the students were forced to move into the other main tourist areas of Ayia Napa such as Makarios Avenue and Nissi Avenue, and the move upset the delicate balance between the young Polish businessmen and the local taxis. The latter decided to take things into their own hands.
“On Monday night, I had some passengers with me and was cycling on one of the main roads when a taxi driver blocked my way, got out of his taxi, came up to me and started hitting me with an open hand,” one of POPOLOPO’s employees Dawid, also a student, remembers.
“I was in shock. I got off the rickshaw, the girls who were on it got off as well. The taxi driver lifted my bicycle up and threw it into the middle of the street where it got damaged. He also hit me several times more. I called Michal and Piotr. We went to the police. I wrote down the number of the taxi driver and gave it to the police but now they claim they never had them. And the problem is because I registered them on my mobile I don’t have them any more either.”
“There was a traffic jam next to the Coyotes so I had to stop and a taxi driver who was behind me drove into me,” says Daniel, another employee of POPOLOPO and a student as well. “I thought he did it by accident and I ignored it, but further down the road I had to stop again and he drove into me again even more aggressively. It was definitely done on purpose.”
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, the company lost seven bicycles and had two of its employees physically abused by organised groups of taxi drivers. The Poles stopped working for a few days to focus on interviews with the police, interventions at the Polish Embassy in Nicosia and coming to terms with the initial shock. Then, in spite of having only six rickshaws available since the rest were being kept by police as evidence, they decided to return to work on Friday night.
“We have to keep on working,” says Kudelski. “It is not only because of us. We have a duty towards our employees. They can’t go on without work and wages. Besides, we have a right to be in these streets. We have all the documents, licences, and insurance necessary for this job. Why should we give up?”
By the taxi drivers think differently.
“These bicycles are not safe on the roads,” several of them gathered around the entry to Ayia Mavri Street told the Sunday Mail on Friday night. “They block the road. They are slow. Traffic is already bad in Ayia Napa and they make it worse. It would be OK if there were four or five of these in Ayia Mavri but 20 and everywhere? No way. Besides we don’t believe they have insurance and permission. They must be illegal. Nobody would give them permission or insurance for using bicycles like that. It is too dangerous.”
“Also, they are taking our business away,” the taxi drivers went on. “Do you know how much we have to spend on our cars and insurance every year? And they come here with their bicycles and spend nothing and make a lot of money. Why should we have Polish people making money here while we don’t? Business is not good anyway. We can’t lose money to some Polish people. We have to wait for customers for two-three hours. And they charge more than we do – for a ride to Nissi Avenue they charge three people six pounds but a taxi costs £3.50. No, we don’t want to kill them but they have to go.”
Koutras, however, is adamant that the Polish rickshaw business is absolutely legal.
“The boys applied to the Cypriot government for permission to operate this company. The government accepted their application and gave them all necessary permissions. They don’t have to worry. If anybody tries to stop them they can fight them in court. They can work here, according to the law of Cyprus and the European Union.”
Simon Kokkinis, an automobile and transport expert and ex-government official, is of the same opinion.
“The boys have my opinion as a professional automobile and transport expert. I have told them that bicycles in Cyprus don’t need registration and there is no road tax for them. Neither are there any legal regulations or restriction connected with this business. I have had a phone call from the chief of Ayia Napa police regarding this matter and he has agreed with me.”
Police at Ayia Napa police station refused to comment.
“For an official statement you need to call Nicosia headquarters. We are not authorised to say anything,” said one, while the other added: “Why is the paper intere
sted in this story? Is it so important? Are you surprised there is conflict? But it is not because they are not Cypriots – they are just taking business away from the taxi drivers. That’s all.”
Meanwhile, in spite the fact that on Friday night one more rickshaw got damaged, Kudelski and Gawin insist the company will keep on working. Their employees also say they will stand by them.
“Yes, I am afraid,” says Daniel. “I can’t say I am not. But when I work and I am on the main streets where all the people are it’s not so bad. They can hit me but they won’t do anything too bad because there are witnesses there. What I really worry about is when about two, three in the morning I am alone on my way to the garage in some small street. This is where they can really harm me.”
The Polish embassy said it was closely monitoring the situation.
