Norway’s latest taxi reform results in several hundred new applications

One week after the new taxi reform came into force, 104 applications for taxi licenses for 487 cars have been received.

The figures were revealed by newspaper Klassekampen, that collected them from eleven county municipalities that administer the licenses in Norway.

From November 1, the rules for driving a taxi were greatly relaxed.

There is no longer a requirement that drivers have to belong to a taxi center, it’s easier to be a part-time taxi driver, and the municipalities can no longer set a limit on how many taxis there should be.

There are currently 8,040 taxi licenses in Norway. A total of 1,750 of them are in Oslo and 1,240 in Viken.

A tough market

Oslo has received applications from 18 different companies for licenses for a total of 231 taxis. One of the companies has applied for a license for 100 cars, but most applications are for one car, according to Klassekampen.

“For those who are going into the market, it will be very tough. There is no demand at the present. There will be even more people fighting for the same customers,” Glenn Tuxen, a taxi owner and chairman of the board of the Norwegian Taxi Association’s department in Oslo, noted.

Tuxen believes the reform will lead to layoffs, dismissals, and bankruptcies in the future.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today