Nightclub taxi drives away the blues in lockdown Greece

"I saw that people were always stressed, sad, everyone was in a bad mood," says Greek taxi driver Konstantinos Bekio, who is doing his bit to lift his passengers' spirits amid coronavirus lockdown, turning his cab into a nightclub.

Greek taxi driver Konstantinos Bekio is doing his bit to lift his passengers' spirits amid the gloom of coronavirus lockdown, turning his cab into a nightclub complete with strobe lights and music.

"I saw that people were always stressed, sad, everyone was in a bad mood," he said as he drove through the nighttime streets of Thessaloniki in northern Greece where he began the service during the first coronavirus lockdown in March.

"I started to put on music - to turn up the volume, and I saw people enjoyed it, they were having fun, they were having a good time, even if it was a short route, they would get out happy. That is how we started the private club taxi."

Although Greece has not suffered as badly as many other European countries from COVID-19, its nightlife culture has taken a hit. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs have been shut since November and no-one is sure when they will reopen.

"It improves your mood in the first five minutes," said 24-year-old Ioanna Kargiannidou, a regular customer.

"The situation is very difficult and stressful for everyone, our mood is low," she said. "So this is a good solution to escape our daily routine."