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Why some ferry routes in Norway will be completely free this summer

Some ferry connections in Norway will be free of charge to everyone from July under a new government scheme. Here's what you need to know. 

Published: 9 May 2022 11:22 CEST
Pictured is a Fjord 1 ferry.
The government is set to make ferries with low passenger numbers free of charge, according to reports. Pictured is a Fjord 1 ferry. Photo by Meriç Dağlı on Unsplash.

Travel on ferries with less than 100,000 passengers annually will become completely free from July 1st, public broadcaster NRK reports. 

The government pledged to make all ferry connections with less than 100,000 passengers free of charge when it was formed last October to try and make transport easier for rural and coastal communities and boost tourism. 

The government is set to put aside 39 million kroner from the revised national budget to fund the scheme. The refreshed budget will be presented later this week. 

“The ferry tickets are very expensive, and this is a concrete contribution that will make it easier for industry and permanent residents (along the coast),” Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, Minister of Finance, told newswire NTB. 

Under the new scheme, as many as 39 routes across Norway could become completely free of charge, according to data on passenger numbers from The Ferry Database (Ferjedatabanken). 

The database’s numbers are from 2019, as this was the last year that the pandemic didn’t disrupt travel. 

Vedum added that government still has its sights set on reducing ferry prices by 50 percent by 2025.

The scheme where connections with low passenger numbers are made entirely free is likely to cost the government around 165 million kroner per year, the finance ministry informed NTB. 

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OSLO

Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

The strained finances of bus provider Unibuss could cause chaos for Oslo’s bus network if the company folds. 

Published: 24 April 2024 12:08 CEST
Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

Unibuss, which is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality, is in danger of going bust due to large losses, unpaid bills, and fines from public transport firm Ruter for issues with its electric bus fleet this winter. 

Oslo City Council will hold an emergency meeting headed up by transport councilor Marit Vea on Wednesday, where she will be grilled on how the council will avert a collapse in the city’s public transport network should Unibuss go bankrupt. 

Unibuss is comprised of four smaller companies that operate bus routes in Oslo on behalf of Ruter. The company has just over 370 buses in operation and covers around 60 to 70 percent of the routes in Oslo and the neighboring municipality of Bærum. 

Oslo’s fleet of electric busses struggled especially with snow and cold temperatures this winter, which caused frequent chaos across the capital’s public transport network. 

Snow, ice, range and charging issues for the busses lead to vehicle shortages which caused mass delays and cancellations several times over the winter. 

Ruter, which is also part owned by Oslo municipality, believes that the financial problems facing Unibuss mean the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy or undergo a major restructuring, according to a memo obtained by publication Teknisk Ukeblad.  

It has previously told public broadcaster that it was working on a plan in case Unibuss goes bankrupt. 

“There is no doubt that the first days of such a scenario will be very demanding for the residents of Oslo and parts of Akershus,” Ruter’s communications director Elisabeth Skarsbø Moen told public broadcaster NRK.  

“First and foremost, we are working to find a solution together with Unibuss that does not affect Ruter’s customers,” she said. 

“But as those responsible for public transport, we have both a plan and an emergency organization ready to also handle a bankruptcy,” Skarsbø Moen added. 

Should Unibuss go bankrupt, its buses would become part of the bankruptcy estate and if such an event were to occur while passengers were in transit, all passengers would need to disembark at the next stop so the buses can be transported to the depot. 

Ruter said it had an eye on the market to try and see what could be available in terms of extra buses and equipment. 

It said that its priority would be to ensure that school transport, and that healthcare workers could get to work, in the event of a sudden lack of buses. 

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