The case in summary: Per Gustavsen sold his taxi due to the increase in working days following the liberalization of the taxi industry. The number of taxi licenses in Norway increased from 7,151 in 2021 to 18,212 in 2023, which led to longer waiting times between assignments for the drivers. The Støre government has reversed some of the changes, which has reduced the number of licenses to 14,179. The Norwegian Taxi Association expects a further reduction in the number of licenses from 1 March 2025 when the requirement for connection to a central office is implemented. The Progress Party itself criticizes the taxi reform, but Morten Stordalen believes that the changes the Støre government has made have not caught up to the challenges of large disparities in prices for taxi rides. The summary is made by a Ki service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Per Gustavsen is happy to chat. He has driven a taxi for 24 years and enjoyed the trips with both school children and the elderly. On 30 September he had his last taxi ride as a taxi owner. In October he sold the taxi. It didn’t work anymore. All the hours in the car have destroyed my knees, he says. Per Gustavsen has given himself up as a taxi driver. Photo: Aina Indreiten / news In the past, Gustavsen had other drivers who drove for him part of the day and at weekends. After being released from the taxi industry, he had to drive more himself. – There was no cap on the license and then the drivers would rather have their own car. In addition, there were far too many of us competing for the same customers. More than doubling the number of taxi licenses In 2020, the Solberg government opened up more liberalization in the taxi industry. Among other things, the ceiling on how many licenses can be allocated in one county was removed. In addition, the requirement to belong to a taxi center was removed. This led to more than a doubling of the number of taxi licences, according to figures from the Norwegian Taxi Association. On 1 January 2021, there were 7,151 taxi licenses in Norway. Two years later, the number had increased to 18,212. It reduced the waiting time for taxi customers, but for the drivers it had the opposite effect. – There were long waiting times between trips. You have to double your working hours to earn enough, but 14-15 hours in a car is not possible, says Gustavsen. Ilir Neziri (left), Per Gustavsen and Torhild Skytøen have experienced that the working days became longer after the number of taxi licenses increased. Photo: Aina Indreiten / news Fewer assignments He receives support from former colleagues. Taxi owner Torhild Skytøen has driven a taxi for ten years, and noticed a big change after the release in 2020. – The assignments have become fewer. There is a lot of waiting time for customers, and it takes a toll on the mental health, says Skytøen. Outside the railway station in Tønsberg, taxi owner Torhild Skytøen is waiting for customers. Photo: Aina Indreiten / news She too has been given a working day of up to 15 hours a day. – I have to in order to survive and operate the car. I can’t afford an extra driver, Skytøen tells. Both tell of tough working days. They are not alone in that, according to the Norwegian Taxi Association. – People are in despair and think a lot about how they will get enough income for both the operation of the car and their own salary. That’s what Ilir Neziri, head of the Norwegian Taxi Association, Vestfold branch, says. Hopes for improvement The union leader has hope that the situation can improve in the long term. The Støre government has reversed some of the changes in the Solberg government in the taxi industry. It happened on 1 September this year. – It got out of hand for a while, but now a requirement has been introduced that everyone must have a taxi meter and belong to a taxi centre. There have been quite a few fewer permits since then, says Neziri. According to the Norwegian Taxi Association, the number on licenses is now 14,179. They expect a further reduction in the number of licenses from 1 March 2025 when the requirement to be connected to a central office is implemented. Frp: Taking self-criticism on the taxi reform The Progress Party was one of the parties that voted for the major changes in the taxi industry four years ago. Storting representative Morten Stordalen believes that the changes came primarily because the industry itself wanted it. The price for taxis had increased year after year for customers and large parts of the taxi industry in Norway had red numbers in their accounts. – There was something unhealthy about the entire industry at the time. But we can now discuss whether the reform hit as it should, acknowledges Stordalen, who sits on the transport and communications committee in the Storting. Morten Stordalen is a parliamentary representative for the Progress Party in Vestfold. – Why didn’t they meet? – I simply don’t quite know. No one sat with the conclusion. We as politicians must be honest that everything we introduce the first time does not always hit the mark, says the FRP politician. He still believes that the changes the Støre government has made have not caught a major problem in the industry; that the price of a taxi ride can vary from car to car. – It’s not like when you go out and fly or take the train, the prices vary from time to time. I’m not saying that it applies in general, but the customers must be better taken care of, says Stordalen. Published 11.11.2024, at 17.38
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Per couldn’t bear the long working days and sold the taxi – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
