Perhaps it is just a coincidence that Aphrodite Hills have announced a medical centre on resort which provides trained Paramedics capable of dealing with any medical emergency. The Centre will have a Doctor and Nurse available during normal working hours and there is a limited service available during weekends. A Paramedic and a Technical Driver per ambulance will also be available in order to assist with any emergency that arises at the Resort. Thank fully they won’t be riding Segways!

In all seriousness, Please be very careful if you hire out the Segways; wear proper footwear and use the helmet provided, we have already noticed a few minor accidents! If you need to contact the medical centre for any emergency, please contact security on +357 26 828 061. For further Segway hire information - http://www.segway-cyprus.com/

Segways were made famous by George Bush, Jackie Chan but ironically mostly by the Owner of the company who rode one off a cliff and did not survive to tell the tale;

Segway Owner Dies in Segway Crash

Call it irony, fate or simply an accident: in Britain, the owner of Segway died over the weekend when he apparently drove one of the devices off a cliff near his home, The Associated Press reported.

ReutersJimi Heselden, who owned Segway, Inc. until his death on Sunday.

In West Yorkshire, police reported that James W. Heselden, 62, who took control of the company this year, accidentally steered the Segway off a 30-foot cliff and into a river while riding on his estate, about 140 miles from London. The exact cause of death is not yet established, the police said.

The Segway Human Transporter came to market in 2002 as the invention of Dean Kamen, an entrepreneur from New Hampshire who made his fortune after he created the first insulin pump for treatment of diabetes. At the time, Mr. Kamen said that the Segway would have an impact on society similar to that of the personal computer.

The person-mover, priced at about $5,000, uses sophisticated gyroscopic technology as well as electronics and some software controls.

A Segway.

The rider essentially steers one by leaning fore and aft, and aiming to the left or right by pulling the handlebars; the company calls this “LeanSteer” technology. The Segway’s top speed is about 12 miles per hour, the company says.

In Britain, the Segway can used only on private property. But they are legal in several European countries including Cyprus. In the United States, Segways are approved for limited use in many states.

Celebrities including Jackie Chan adopted the Segway as an alternative transportation device for a time, although the Segway image took a hit in 2003 when George W. Bush fell off one, no surprise there then.

THE LONG-STANDING issue of overcharging by taxis at Paphos airport is being compounded by the recession, and drivers taking advantage customers coming in on the recently-arrived Ryanair flights.

Taxi drivers say they are being pushed to the limit between the recession, illegal drivers at the airport, and the increased competition from airport shuttle services. They concede that these factors, which contribute to lack of business, might push some drivers to charge more when the do manage to pick up a customer.

Complaints against the taxis have increased in recent weeks, tourism bosses say. And the drivers could have another form of competition about to eat into their fares.

The Kapnos airport shuttle service is considering starting a bus service from Nicosia to Paphos airport from June so that people can take advantage of the 15 new destinations Ryanair is offering.

Complaining customers using taxis in recent weeks have cited overcharging as the primary problem, although others have also complained about drivers using excessive speed, dangerous driving and smoking, sources in the tourism industry said.

Some passengers are now paying more for their taxi from the airport into Paphos than the price of their plane ticket to Cyprus with the low-cost carrier.

Sharon Boston recently used a taxi from Paphos airport into the centre of Paphos and says she was charged €50.

“I came to Cyprus visiting friends, and I was horrified when the driver asked me for €50. He became nasty when I questioned the fare as I had been told it should be about €30. I was scared, so I just gave him the money. I would never use a taxi from the airport again.”

Overcharging by taxis is a well known problem in Paphos but the phenomena seems to be increasing due to the economic crisis.

“Sometimes drivers are waiting 20 or so hours at the airport just for one fare. There really isn’t a lot of work for us. Some day drivers don’t even earn €10 and the price of petrol is going up. If there’s no work, of course people may feel the need to charge more,” said Tassos Anastasiou, the vice president of the Paphos taxi drivers union

According to one airport official, who said he would rather not be named, to travel by taxi from Paphos airport to Kato Paphos should be around €18, but drivers often charge between €35- €50.

But Anastasiou said the journey taken in a small taxi with luggage, should be about €25.

“We (the union) do not support any drivers who are not working correctly. But, as with any job, there are always good and bad workers,” he said.

“The drivers who are causing problems are not professional drivers working full time and are only working on a part time basis.”

Anastasiou said taxi drivers were suffering because of the bus services and also because of competition from private drivers which he says are operating illegally and are not licensed.

“These drivers are undercutting us and taking our customers. We have lost about 50 per cent of our custom to these people.”

Last week, Anastasiou says he witnessed two unlicensed drivers collecting customers from the airport. One of them charged €25 from Paphos to Latsi.

“How can they do that? It would cost me about €47for the same fare,” he said.

Anastasiou complained that the government was supporting the bus services and not the taxi drivers.  “It’s very unfair. We agreed to have the buses but despite our complaints to the government, they say there is nothing they can do to help us,” he said.

Taxi drivers may soon feel the pinch further as a new shuttle service connecting Paphos airport with the capital could get underway.

The head of Kapnos Airport shuttle, Bambos Kapnos, which currently operates shuttle transfers between Larnaca airport and Nicosia said, “We are considering starting an airport shuttle service connecting Nicosia with Paphos airport. This is mostly due to the start of the new Ryanair flights.”

Kapnos added: “We will make our decision by the beginning of May. If we start the new route it will get underway at the beginning of June.”

If the service does get the green light, it will cover most of the morning and afternoon flights.

A one way ticket will cost in the region of €16 and will take around one hour twenty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on whether the journey is made by mini bus or coach. Kapnos will operate both for various flights.

In addition, new bus routes from Limassol to Paphos airport are already being operated by the Limassol Urban Bus Company (EAL). Tickets cost €8 per adult and €4 for children aged between three and 12.

2 March 2012 | By Patrick Whyte

Strikes will affect passengers at both Larnaca and Paphos airports

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Spectacular feel for a return to Cyprus for frequent and repeat travellers to the island – most will agree about the appreciation of such an awaited infrastructure in Cyprus. There is an additional impact that I hope will not go unnoticed and that is the influence this new service facilities has already had on the psyche of the people working at the airport. Well done Hermes.