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OSLO

Oslo in bid to allow shops to open on Sunday 

Oslo City Council will seek permission from the State Administrator to allow shops to open on Sundays.

Published: 28 February 2024 10:48 CET
Pictured is a street in Oslo's Grunneløkka district that is full of shops and bars.
Oslo's city council wants to allow stores to open on Sunday. Pictured is a street in Oslo's Grunneløkka district that is full of shops and bars. Photo by Transly Translation Agency on Unsplash

The right-wing bloc that leads Oslo City Council will submit an application to the State Administrator to allow shops in the Norwegian capital to open on Sundays. 

“We want to make Oslo even more vibrant,” culture and industry councillor Anita Leirvik North said. 

“Giving shops in Oslo the opportunity to stay open on a Sunday can contribute to this,” she added. 

According to the law, shops must be closed on Sundays, public holidays, and after 4pm on Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday.

Some exceptions include convenience stores with a total sales area of ​​up to 100 square meters and gas stations with a total sales area of ​​up to 150 square meters.

Bars, restaurants, art galleries, temporary exhibitions, and trade fairs are typically allowed to remain open. 

READ MORE: Why is everything in Norway closed on Sundays?

Another exception is for stores in a “typical tourist destination”. Around one in three Norwegian municipalities has this status. 

Oslo’s city council will apply for this exception. This exception would also only apply to certain parts of the city, rather than the entire municipality.

Under the law, a “typical tourist destination” is one where the sales on Sundays are mainly made to tourists or non-residents of the municipality.

The last time a right-wing bloc was on the city council in Oslo, it also made several unsuccessful attempts to get the State Administrator to grant permission for stores to remain open. 

“I think it is strange not to define Oslo as a tourist city,” North said. 

The city council was still deciding which areas could potentially be exempt from the Sunday trading laws, according to public broadcaster NRK. 

Union leader for retail workers Christopher Beckham told NRK that Sunday trading laws wouldn’t necessarily appeal to workers. 

“If we open for Sunday trading, it will be more difficult for the employees to combine working life with family and leisure,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Oslo Business Association (Oslo Handelsstands Forening/OFH) said that opinion was divided among its members. 

Oslo City Council will need to secure a majority vote for the proposal to send the proposals to the State Administrator.  

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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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