GRENSEN, OSLO (Nettavisen): Taxi driver Mika Rosenborg in Oslo is desperate. Because from autumn all taxis in the capital will have to be electric. He is now thinking of giving up.
– I think it’s very unfair. This is what I most want to do, says Rosenborg thoughtfully.
Nettavisen meets the experienced taxi driver in the center of Oslo. The 59-year-old is a familiar face in the city, where he has been taking passengers since the 1990s. But now it could soon end.
From November 1st, local legislation will be introduced in Oslo that will require zero emissions for all taxis.
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– I do not see it
Rosenborg himself owns a hybrid car, in which he invested almost a million crowns eight years ago. He must be replaced even if he wants to continue driving a taxi. This is even though the car’s emissions are minimal compared to those of a diesel car.
– I was very early and bought a hybrid car. It’s still a very technologically advanced car, she says.
Now he’s not sure he can afford to invest in an electric car and a new investment of millions in a car that’s sturdy enough for taxi driving.
– I don’t see how I will be able to earn enough money to finance a new car. Because at the same time we have gained 4,000 new competitors after the deregulation of the taxi industry, says Rosenborg, looking thoughtfully out of the car window.
It was in 2020 that taxi licenses were issued, after Solberg’s government removed the need test that until then limited the number of operators on the market. Subsequently the number of taxis in Oslo almost exploded.
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– They failed
The Norwegian Taxi Association is also worried and fears chaos in the autumn, because the charging infrastructure is too poor.
– This is a local regulation for Oslo, which forces us to be fully electric from November 1st. We have known this for some time, but we see that the conditions for implementation by the Oslo municipality have not been met, taxi driver and vice-president of the Norwegian Taxi Association Anne Karlsen Hove tells Nettavisen.
– The prerequisite for the implementation of this is that they must provide the pricing. This is where we think they failed, he says.
Today in Oslo there are only 14 dedicated charging stations for taxis, which are located in Carl Berner, Bryn and Stovner. The union’s request is manifold: at least 100 new charging stations reserved for taxis, so as not to have to worry about where to charge.
– We have the feeling of not being listened to and this is disappointing. For us it’s not organized enough, says Hove, who has been driving a taxi for 38 years.
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– Not suitable for everyone
She herself replaced her old diesel car with an electric car a year ago and runs it when she can charge it at home at night.
– Some home charging is foreseen, but it is not possible for everyone, he points out.
In the recent cold spell, drivers also had problems with reduced range, just like Oslo’s electric buses.
– It was at half capacity when it was this cold. Plus, you can’t wait to charge until it gets too low, because you have no idea how your day will turn out. Then you might suddenly have a problem on the road to Gardermoen, says Hove.
She is supported by taxi owner Glenn Tuxen, who was previously president of the Oslo branch of the Norwegian Taxi Association.
– We are not against going green, but we are in favor of Oslo municipality meeting its obligations. The prerequisite for introducing the regulation is that there is a charging infrastructure in place, he stresses, which has also replaced its fossil fuel-powered taxis.
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– Catastrophic
Rosenborg is among those who cannot charge at home and have to drive around to find available charging points.
– I live on a block in the center of Oslo, and only street parking applies there. Therefore I don’t have the possibility of having a charger with electrical support at home, she says.
– Do you spend a lot of time looking for charging points?
– It’s varied a lot. It’s fine during summer holidays, but when there are a lot of people in town it takes me longer. Furthermore, today I have a car that loses very little distance when it is cold, whereas if I have to switch to a cheaper electric car, the charging values in winter are catastrophic, Rosenborg points out.
He has clear ideas about what he thinks the City of Oslo should now do with the demand for electric cars.
– I think they should postpone this until the same deadline as Akershus, until 2027, and the reason is very simple: by then the municipality will probably have managed to make more charging points available. Because it is very unfair to spend so much time in the neighboring county, since we drive in the same market, the taxi driver says firmly.
– I feel good
In January he will decide whether he will have to permanently turn off the taxi lights and register as unemployed.
– It’s a real shame if it ends like this, because I like it so much. This summer I will turn 60 and I want to continue like this until I retire, he says at the wheel.
Hove thinks it’s a shame that Rosenborg and many other pilots he knows are considering giving up.
– I understand very well that some choose to do it, who think it will be complicated and too big an investment, he says.
He also wonders how the ban on fossil fuel-powered cars will be enforced.
– All taxi licenses are now national, so someone with a Finnmark license can drive in Oslo. Who will then check that that car is electric? Licenses issued in other countries where it is possible to drive on fossil fuels are now no longer allowed to drive in Oslo.
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The city council: – It cannot be postponed
It was in September 2020 that the previous red-green city council decided that the taxi sector should become carbon neutral. The new Councilor for the Environment and Transport, Marit Vea (V), defends the request.
– We are in the midst of a climate crisis and in Oslo it is the transport sector that is by far responsible for the largest emissions. This means we cannot postpone the conversion to zero emissions, not even in the taxi sector, Vea tells Nettavisen.
Vea believes the industry has had plenty of time to readjust.
– These requirements have been known to the taxi industry for more than four years, so the industry has had plenty of time to prepare, he points out, and promises assistance in creating more charging points.
– The municipality of Oslo absolutely must do its part to make the transition to electric cars easy and attractive. This City Council will therefore step up investment in charging and we will further strengthen the offer of fast and rapid chargers available. The taxi industry will also benefit, says Vea.
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– It’s not our job
The city council also states that it is not the job of municipalities to provide energy for cars.
– Access to fuel and energy for vehicles is not essentially a public task. However, if the municipality expands its charging facilities and provides subsidies for private and commercial charging, it is because we believe the transition is not proceeding fast enough, he says.
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He believes there is an urgent need to reduce emissions.
– However, the taxi sector also has the autonomous responsibility to make the necessary investments in the car fleet and equipment, for example for home charging for drivers. Also in this case the Municipality provides financial support, explains Vea.
To the request to postpone the entire renovation to 2027, you respond very clearly:
– I believe that this requirement can and should be introduced as planned. I am willing to have a close dialogue with the taxi industry in the coming months and that the municipality should help make this transition happen as smoothly as possible for all parties, she says.
