A 59-year-old taxi driver was arrested in Athens after being found guilty of overcharging passengers by using a double fare on his meter instead of the legal single fare. The arrest occurred as he was driving in Central Athens, where police intervened and discovered that he had manipulated his meter settings. This improper action had been carried out at least 56 times over the past five days, leading to significant overcharging for unsuspecting passengers.

Law enforcement, particularly the traffic police, caught the driver during a routine check where they confirmed the misuse of the meter. They found that his actions were premeditated and designed to exploit commuters during busy midday hours. As a result, the driver has been charged with fraud and receiving excessive fares, which are considered serious offenses in the transport sector.

The arrest shines a light on the importance of regulatory compliance in public transportation and how deceitful actions by individuals can impact the trust and safety of passengers. The driver has been remanded to a court prosecutor and faces legal repercussions for his actions, aiming to uphold the standards of taxi services in the city and discourage similar behavior by other drivers.