Along the entire coast, the cruise tourists who come to Norway are transported by bus to various attractions, but now the bus company Stromma risks losing its license in Rogaland. – They must comply with the regulations we have set, and the concessions we have granted. If they don’t do it, I think it’s just as easy to lose that concession as it is to get it, says county deputy mayor in Rogaland, Svein Erik Indbjo (Frp). County deputy mayor Svein Erik Indbjo (Frp) threatens to withdraw the permit for Stromma in Rogaland. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news Stromma has routes in Oslo, Bergen, Geiranger and Ålesund. Now it appears that the company has broken the route license it has received in both Stavanger and Haugesund. Route license Anyone who is to operate transport for remuneration must have a licence. Anyone who wants to operate passenger transport on a route by motor vehicle and vessel must have a separate route permit in addition to a tour wagon permit. The route license is needs-tested. It is the county municipalities that grant route permits in the municipalities. As part of the proceedings, the county council will obtain statements on the application from affected parties. There are two exceptions to the needs test: Permits for passenger transport on routes over 80 kilometres, for example express bus routes such as the Haukeliekspressen. License for airport bus routes where passengers get off or get on the bus at an airport. If the criteria for obtaining a license are no longer met or other requirements for business activities are not met, the license can be revoked by the licensing authority. Illegal stops Stromma has, among other things, established a stop at the national monument Haraldshaugen in Haugesund, which they do not have a permit for. Stromma buses at the national monument Haraldshaugen in Haugesund. Rogaland County Council will now establish contact with the bus company. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news – Then they break the concession, and we don’t think anything of it, says Indbjo. Managing director Ole Asgeir Madland in Stromma says Haraldshaugen was left out of the application by mistake. The company has, after news presented the documentation for Stromma, therefore contacted the county council to get permission anyway. Two days after news interviewed Madland, he writes in an SMS that Haraldshaugen has been included in the licence. In Skippergata in the center of Haugesund, the company has a stop just after a no stopping sign. Stromma has established a stop at the no stopping sign in Skippergata in Haugesund. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news – There is a violation of the Road Traffic Act, so it is a police task, says Indbjo. After news made contact, Stromma, according to Madland, removed this stop. Managing director Ole Asgeir Madland says Stromma removed the stop in Skippergata in Haugesund with immediate effect when news made contact. Photo: Stromma – We will not stop the bus and let off passengers where there is a no stopping sign, says Madland. In addition, Stromma has several city center stops in Stavanger for which no license has been granted. – There are slightly different practices from city to city. In Stavanger, we have mostly had an annual meeting with the municipality where we adapt our route to the changes that apply in the city. The county council will now send a letter to Stromma to check which stops are actually used. Was refused a license in Olden, but still drives In Olden in Vestland county last spring, Stromma’s application for a route license was rejected by the National Committee for Transport and Mobility and the County Council Election. Nevertheless, the company offers what appears to be the same route from Olden to two viewpoints where you can see the Melkevoll glacier. Arve Helle (Ap). Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes – I think it sounds very special, says Arve Helle. The Ap politician leads the committee in Vestland county. He was involved in the decision in 2023, and does not like what he hears. – There is no doubt that we have to check up on this. And if so, take action. Stromma believes the bus trip they offer cruise tourists in Olden is legal. – In Olden, we do not drive a fixed route, but a sightseeing tour with tourists. It is not subject to a licence. The passengers cannot get off, and we call it a panoramic trip, says Madland. Illegal signage in Bergen In May this year, Stromma had to remove illegally posted signs in Bergen at its bus stops. In a letter to Stromma dated 3 May 2024, Vestland County demanded that the signs be removed. In an email the same day, CEO Madland in Stromma replied that the company “will remove the relevant signs as soon as possible”. – Have you removed the signs? – If we have been told to remove them, we have done so, but I have not been there in the last week to check it, says Madland. In the same meeting that Stromma was denied a route license in Olden, both Stromma and Hop on AS were denied their applications for a license to drive cruise tourists in Bergen. After a consultation round, where many people were negative about the increased bus traffic, the majority of politicians voted no. But despite this, both companies run tourist buses full of cruise tourists every single day throughout the summer this year. Stromma has an old license that expires in 2028. The company took over this in 2019 when competitor City Sightseeing Bergen was acquired. Hop on AS solved the refusal by making use of an exception in the Occupational Transport Regulations which states that vehicles with a maximum speed of 40 km/h do not need a route permit. Hop on AS has found an exception in the regulations, and drives the cruise tourists at a maximum speed of 40 km/h in Bergen. Photo: Cato Kristensen / news – We have documentation that the buses in Bergen drive with a reduced maximum and restricted speed of 40 km/h, says managing director Rino Ødegård of Hop on AS. Published 15.07.2024, at 20.39
ttn-69
Tourist buses with cruise passengers drive illegally in several places in the country – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
