"Pirate Taxi" in Tromsø. NOK 1.28 Million for Rides Without a License
A man in his thirties allegedly spent over two years regularly transporting passengers around Tromsø and the surrounding area without the required permit. According to the police, he received exactly NOK 1,278,376 for the rides. He did not agree to the proposed penalty, so the case will go to court.
He transported people without a license. Police seek forfeiture of NOK 757,000
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In Brief
- The man transported passengers without a license for over two years.
- Police claim he earned NOK 1,278,376.
- He refused the penalty of NOK 20,000 and forfeiture of NOK 757,498.
- The case will go to court.
- Norwegian regulations require a license for commercial passenger transport.
The man lives in the Lyngen municipality. Police claim that from January 2023 to the end of March 2025, he provided paid passenger transport in Tromsø and nearby towns.
He did not have the required drosjeløyve, which is a permit to operate a taxi business. Norwegians refer to such rides as "pirattaxi" – pirate or illegal taxi.
Police documents show that in just over two years, the man received a total of NOK 1,278,376 for the rides. The scale of his activity therefore went far beyond occasional lifts for friends.
The police wanted to resolve the case through a forelegg, meaning without a regular court trial. The proposed penalty included:
- NOK 20,000 fine,
- forfeiture of NOK 757,498 to the state.
The man did not accept the forelegg. This means the case could not be resolved in a simplified manner and will be considered by the court.
Only the court will assess the police's allegations and decide whether the fine and forfeiture of money are justified. At this stage, there is therefore no final ruling.
Norwegian regulations state that commercial passenger transport by car with up to nine people requires a drosjeløyve. The requirement may also apply to rides offered publicly, for example via online platforms.
For people earning extra money from rides, it is important to distinguish between privately giving someone a lift and regularly transporting passengers for money. Public offers, repeated rides, and a profit motive may cause the activity to be treated as a taxi service.
Under the article in the Norwegian newspaper, two questions were most frequently repeated: how the man could have operated such rides for over two years, and why the police are not seeking forfeiture of the entire NOK 1.28 million.
Editorial Sources
- Material by Eskil Mehrene published on August 4, 2026, nordlys.no
- Norwegian Professional Transport Act, yrkestransportlova, § 9.
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