Uber threatens to drive out of Norway
Ride-sharing app Uber says it wants to continue operating in Norway, but will leave the country if authorities do not approve a number of proposals for changes to its trading conditions.
The company’s press officer Carl Edvard Endresen said at a press conference on Wednesday that Uber was prepared to reconsider its operations in Norway, reports Nettavisen.
“The worst consequence of the process taking place now is that Uber will have to reassess its presence in Norway,” Endresen said.
READ ALSO: Uber halts services in Denmark after new taxi law
A number of changes were proposed by the company in a letter to transport minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen, according to the report.
The shared economy business hopes to be considered legal in a revised framework for taxis, not least due to pressure from the European Free Trade Association’s surveillance agency ESA, which has demanded that Norway change its private transport laws.
Current rules create an obstacle to free trade, according to ESA.
Uber has proposed automatic registration of drivers’ earnings to Norway’s tax authorities and wants to enter agreements to provide pension and insurance schemes for its drivers.
The company also wants drivers to require a health and safety certification for driving known as a kjøreseddel.
Uber hopes to establish itself in provincial parts of Norway where there is currently less competition, and believes that implementation of ESA’s recommendations will enable it to operate in cities such as Trondheim, Berger and Stavanger, according to a report by VG Nyheter.
“We look forward to branching out and offering Uber in these cities,” Endresen told VG.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Uber drivers in Oslo were being investigated for breaching commercial transport and tax rules.
The investigation was an initiated by a report made by the Norwegian Taxi Association in December last year.
READ ALSO: Oslo tries to block Uber car-sharing service
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The company’s press officer Carl Edvard Endresen said at a press conference on Wednesday that Uber was prepared to reconsider its operations in Norway, reports Nettavisen.
“The worst consequence of the process taking place now is that Uber will have to reassess its presence in Norway,” Endresen said.
READ ALSO: Uber halts services in Denmark after new taxi law
A number of changes were proposed by the company in a letter to transport minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen, according to the report.
The shared economy business hopes to be considered legal in a revised framework for taxis, not least due to pressure from the European Free Trade Association’s surveillance agency ESA, which has demanded that Norway change its private transport laws.
Current rules create an obstacle to free trade, according to ESA.
Uber has proposed automatic registration of drivers’ earnings to Norway’s tax authorities and wants to enter agreements to provide pension and insurance schemes for its drivers.
The company also wants drivers to require a health and safety certification for driving known as a kjøreseddel.
Uber hopes to establish itself in provincial parts of Norway where there is currently less competition, and believes that implementation of ESA’s recommendations will enable it to operate in cities such as Trondheim, Berger and Stavanger, according to a report by VG Nyheter.
“We look forward to branching out and offering Uber in these cities,” Endresen told VG.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Uber drivers in Oslo were being investigated for breaching commercial transport and tax rules.
The investigation was an initiated by a report made by the Norwegian Taxi Association in December last year.
READ ALSO: Oslo tries to block Uber car-sharing service
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