Taxi in Chania

Hello! My name is Maria Verivaki, a registered taxi driver in my hometown of Chania, on the island of Crete. I took over the business from my husband Dimitri when he retired. I was never meant to become a taxi driver because I thought I already had a 'job' and didn’t need any new ones. Originally from NZ (my Greek parents emigrated for better opportunities), I started off my working life in Greece as an English teacher, which was great for many years in Greece, because most people had little contact with the English language apart from school lessons and TV. Once the internet hit the scene, people of all ages became more connected with English through websites, which improved their knowledge of the language and when AI hit the scene, our world changed forever and the rest is history.

But the world has been changing for eons, and even in Dimitri's time, it was changing fast. He wasn't meant to be a taxi driver either. He took over his father's taxi after his dad got very ill, meaning that he had to cut off his business economics and management studies in Italy sometime in the mid-1970s. After spending three years doing mandatory military duty (that's how long it was back then if you were placed in the air force), he started driving the taxi for a living since 1981, just after Greece joined the European Union. Before that, Chania was a sleepy dusty town, often overshadowed by Heraklion, the biggest city on the island of Crete. But the EU changed everything: foreigners began arriving and ever since then, Crete has continued breaking records annually in tourist arrivals. This is one reason why we love our hometown. If people who aren't from here love it, then we know it must be very special. We are thankful for the Greek sun, the Cretan sea, our ancestral fields, and above all, the good health of our family. As we Greeks say, υγεία πάνω απ' όλα (health above all things).

If you can master the art of reinventing yourself, you will never be out of work. Reinventing yourself means you have put a lot of effort in your imaginative powers. Over the years, I have been a food blogger, forager, food preserver, textile artist, junk seller, travel writer, and now a taxi driver. But what binds all my jobs is my story-telling powers. No job is done without a story. This sometimes raises issues; for example, some people hire you to get a job done and they aren't interested in hearing you tell them stories while you get the job done, while others want to tell you stories themselves (this happens a lot in the taxi business). This is very hard on a story-teller, because you have to learn to keep quiet. But every now and then, you land on your dream job and you get paid not just to do the work but also for the stories you told the boss while you did the work.

For this reason, I don't think I am just another taxi driver in Greece. I live in the twilight zone: two homelands and two languages make you the fly on the wall that observes everything going on around them but you can’t always have a say. Having lived for more than three decades in Chania, I am more likely to tell you things you will never find out about in your AI searches. If this is what you would like from a transfer service or a day tour while you are visiting Chania, I'm the one for you.

These days, there are many ways to book a cab while you're on vacation before your plane even lands at your holiday destination, having agreed on the price beforehand. I highly recommend that you do that, and don't leave things to chance, because many people say that taxi fares are expensive in Greece. I think that what they really mean is that they feel they are getting ripped off by taxi drivers. If you pick up a cab off the street, and you don't know the driver, and you don't speak their language, and they tell you that they don't accept cards, I bet that ride will end up being expensive. For example, I charged 3 US military officers 13 euro to take them into town from their accommodation, which is what the taxi meter read. They said: Just 13 euro? Go figure what happened in her previous ride to the same church. (They gave me the rest of what they were usually charged as a tip, just saying.)

Here are some things I can help you to do if you are traveling to Chania:

-        I'm able to help you to organise a road trip in Western Crete that interests you. I have my own special style of introducing the sights of my town, especially the not so well-known ones.

-        Chania is not just about what is on the map, where all the tourists go. I like to include places in my itineraries that reveal other aspects of my town. I can take you to a quiet beach, a popular beach, a beautiful beach - any kind of beach that interests YOU.

-        Not interested in beaches? I can take you to see beautiful scenery, dramatic scenery, awesome scenery - just tell me what interests YOU.

-       If you want to hike down the Samaria Gorge, I organise the transfers to Omalos plateau and then back to your accommodation in Chania from Sfakia port after you take the ferry from Agia Roumeli where the gorge ends. Ferries also leave from Agia Roumeli to Sougia, Paleochora and Loutro, so if you want to stay there after your hike down the Saamaria Gorge, I can organise to keep your luggage until your second ride.

-        Last but not least, we are very proud home cooks, so we know where some of the best food that Crete has to offer you is being cooked. The Mediterranean cuisine is based on fresh seasonal local produce - and it is NOT based just on meat. The town is now a hotspot for international cuisine - you need recommendations if you want to eat real Cretan food.

I drive an air-conditioned Mercedes which takes up to four passengers (if you are a bigger group, sorry, you will need mini-van services which we don't provide). I drive very carefully (you will understand that when I get honked at because everyone seems to be in a rush these days), and we aren’t smokers. I hope that, after taking a drive with me, you will understand my country better than when you arrived here. My hope is that when your holiday is over, you will want to come back, and your friends will be convinced about coming here too. So, let me take you for a ride.

Contact Information for Maria the story-telling taxi driver in Chania, Crete, Greece

Telephone: +30-6977-399-306 whatsapp/viber

For more information and prices, you can e-mail me at: mverivaki@hotmail.com.

Please mention that you found me on Matt Barrett's Chania, Crete page. Or you can use this form and I will know.

(You can call or email any time of the day but please note that I may be driving. And at midnight Greek time, we will not hear your call or see your email until the next day. But we always reply to all calls, texts and messages. The same policy applies for cancellations.)

FYI: We don’t take deposits and we don’t charge for cancellations – the world is crazy enough without adding more stress to it. Prices are based on the destination (mileage) and the amount of time the taxi is in use on a single trip or tour booking. The cab has two booster seats for safe transportation of youngsters. I don't do guided tours of archaeological sites or other places (that is someone else's job). I just tell you everything I know. If we can't accommodate you, we will try to find someone like us (reliable, honest, clean, excellent driving skills, polite, English-speaking) who will be able to service your needs.

Happy holidays on our island!