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How to save money on public transport in Norway

If you live in one of Norway’s bigger cities, owning a car isn’t always necessary, and costs can be high. Luckily, there are plenty of alternative and affordable ways to get around.

Published: 23 November 2020 12:48 CET
Updated: 20 December 2020 09:03 CET
How to save money on public transport in Norway
Photo: Gunnar Ridderström on Unsplash

On two wheels

In many of the major cities in Norway, the options for how to get around are abundant. 

Cycling is growing in popularity in Norway, including battery-assisted cycling. According to Statistics Norway, electric bicycle imports increased 42 percent between 2017 and 2018. 

City planners are taking notice of this surge in popularity and thinking ahead. Currently, nine different cities around Norway (Bergen, Stavanger, Bodø, Tromsø, Trondheim, Oslo, Moss, city areas Fredrikstad-Sarpsborg and  Buskerudbyen) are conducting research on bike traffic to find out the best place for future bicycle lanes, according to NRK.

If you like the idea of cycling but are not ready to purchase one, check to see if your city or town has bicycle sharing programmes. In addition to it being low-cost and convenient, it’s also a great way to learn your way around a new city. You can buy a monthly subscription, season pass, or a one-time access.

By downloading the app, you can find a bike at a station close to you and check where to drop off bike when you are finished. There are over 280 parking and pick-up and drop-off stations around Oslo for the city's bysykkel, or city bike. For more information about pricing and how Oslo city bikes are operated, look here.

On four wheels 

Nabobil is a private car rental platform that is available in many parts of Norway. It has been in business since 2015 and has over 200,000 completed leases and over 7,000 cars available for rent, according to news wire NTB. 

If you are in need of a car for a short term period and have a valid driver’s license, then this could be a more convenient and low-priced option than going through a traditional car rental company. The cost differentiates between cars as it is up to the car’s owner to set a price (which also includes insurance and roadside assistance). Look here for further details.

If it is necessary for you to own a car, you can save a lot of money by choosing an electric vehicle.

Unlike diesel or gasoline cars, which are heavily taxed, electric cars benefit from a very generous tax system, making their purchase prices relatively competitive.

There is also a huge discount on tolls if you are driving an electric vehicle, and cheaper parking (depending on where you are). You can also only be charged a maximum of half the price paid by diesel vehicles when on a ferry.  

READ ALSO: Electric car sales in Norway motor to new high

Public transportation

The public transportation in Norway's cities is known for being both reliable and affordable. Like cycling, this method of transport has also increased in popularity. According to Statistics Norway, there has been a 35.5 percent increase in public transportation use from 2009 to 2019.

The government wants to continue to see an increase of use in public transportation and, in the National Transport Plan for 2018-2029, specifically seeks to increase public passenger transport in big cities. The government says it will do this by making an effort to make collective transport accessible for all, increase its effectiveness, and to make it the best transport option. This includes the price, comfort, and travel time. 

Discounts on public transportation are offered to many groups including seniors, youth, and students. Look here for a list of ticket pricing with Ruter, the the public transport authority for the Oslo and Akershus counties. 

Helpful facts and vocabulary 

  • elsparkesykkel – electric scooter 
  • sykkelsti – bike path 
  • billett – ticket 

If you are looking to buy a bicycle for a low price check on online marketplace Finn.no. Used bikes can be found on Finn throughout the year. 

Depending on where you are originally from, the option of taking a taxi may once have been a low-cost option. This is not the case in Norway! Taxis are notoriously more (way more) expensive than public transportation. Especially during the hours with surge pricing and on public holidays like May 17th, Norway's national day.

Uber recently returned to Norway after a three-year absence, due to a change in the law which allows the company to operate again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For members

LIVING IN NORWAY

Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

One of the easiest ways to adjust to life in another country is to feel a sense of belonging, either by feeling part of the wider community or carving out your own path. 

Published: 22 April 2024 16:16 CEST
Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

While plenty of factors, such as work-life balance, access to nature, and the country’s great potential for child raising, make it attractive, foreigners in Norway find it a difficult place to settle. 

In previous surveys among foreign residents, internationals in Norway have said that the culture and difficulty making friends made Norway a hard place to settle. 

Finding a sense of community and belonging can help people feel settled and at home. 

Even if you need to fit in more places, there will likely be somewhere in Norway where you can embed yourself into a community. 

Start with your neighbourhood or local area  

This may not be possible everywhere, and not everyone is guaranteed a great relationship with their neighbours. 

However, life in the big cities in Norway could be set up for strong micro-communities. This is because many apartment blocks are arranged into housing associations. 

These business-like entities allow the residents to get involved with the running of the community. You could contribute by joining the board, or you may wish to get involved with dugnad (voluntary work) in the spring and autumn. 

There may also be seasonal parties and meetups organised by the neighbours.

READ ALSO: Seven ways you will accidentally annoy your Norwegian neighbours

Volunteering 

Giving back to your local community can definitely make it feel like you are an important building block. 

Norway has around 100,000 volunteer organisations that offer several opportunities to get involved and help others. 

From coaching kids’ sports teams to helping other immigrants integrate, there are hundreds of ways to go about volunteering. 

There are a number of places where you can find some volunteering work, such as Frivillighet Norge, Norges Frivilligsentraler, and Frivillig.no. 

READ ALSO: How can I find volunteer work in Norway?

Sports, old and new 

One of the best ways to feel involved in something is to be part of a team. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get involved with sports in Norway. 

If you live in the big cities, there are plenty of ways to pick up a new sport, keep a lifelong passion going, or pick up the baton after a few years off. 

Oslo, for example, has facilities for sports of all types, from rock climbing to cricket. There are also plenty of chances to get involved in a number of sports just beginning to take off in Norway, such as padel, pickleball, or racketlon. 

There’s much more than just racquet sports too, it’s simply a case of looking for something that suits your fancy. If there is a sport from where you are from that you miss, you likely aren’t the only one, so be sure to check if there is an equivalent close to you. 

Many of these sports will have an associated club, meaning there will be several social opportunities to gather. 

Not all sports require you to be an athlete, either. There are plenty that require a degree of skill, but are also inclusive, such as the game cornhole. 

Hobbies 

It’s not just being part of a sports team that can help you get close to others over a shared interest. 

There are also plenty of opportunities to get to know people and feel a part of something while enjoying your hobbies. If it’s gardening, consider an allotment, cars or bikes, and you could join a motor club. 

If you speak a language other than English, you could consider a language café. From there, you could consider sharing your language with others in a community full of people interested in other languages and cultures. 

Foreign resident groups 

Sometimes, the community you might be missing has more to do with where you have left than it has to do with where you are. 

In that regard, it might be nice to surround yourself with people from a similar part of the world. Thanks to social media, there are groups for pretty much everyone in Norway, as well as groups for new residents or foreign residents, more generally. 

These groups will typically act as support networks where people can ask questions, rant, arrange meetups and generally support one another. 

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