Taxi regulations in Norway

Regulations for the Taxi Industry

The taxi industry in Norway is regulated by the Professional Transport Act with associated regulations. The regulations were significantly changed on November 1, 2020, when taxi legislation was liberalized.

License and License Fee

To operate a taxi business, you need a taxi license issued by the county municipality.

The license guarantee is intended to ensure that financial obligations to passengers and authorities can be met.

Central Affiliation

After November 1, 2020, the requirement for affiliation with a taxi central has been removed in most areas. Nevertheless, many drivers still have central affiliation.- A taxi center arranges trips and handles customer inquiries.

• The center can set requirements for vehicle standards, uniform, and behavior.
• Drivers without central affiliation must handle marketing and customer contact themselves.
• In some counties, there can still be exclusive rights for certain centers in specific areas.

Working hours

Taxi drivers are subject to the Working Environment Act’s regulations on working hours.

For drivers who are self-employed, the Working Environment Act’s working time provisions do not apply directly, but driving and rest time rules must be followed.

Supervisory authorities

Several authorities supervise the taxi industry.

• The county municipality issues licenses and supervises license holders.
• The police issues driving permits and checks conduct.
• The Norwegian Metrology Service checks taximeters.
• The Tax Administration checks income reporting and value-added tax.
• The Labour Inspection Authority supervises working conditions and working hours.

Sanctions

Violations of the regulations can lead to:

• Fees and warnings for minor offenses.
• Revocation of licenses for repeated or serious violations.
• Confiscation of driving permits for traffic offenses.
• Prosecution for serious legal violations such as taximeter fraud.

Further reading

• Read about taxi license for detailed requirements.
• See taximeter and price rules for price requirements.
• Read about driver safety and prevention.
• Practice with free theory test to test your knowledge.