Haxi wins lawsuit in Norway – not in violation of transport laws

Norwegian startup Haxi has been given the green light to continue operations.  The court has ruled that the startup is not breaking the law, and can therefore continue to run their shared transport service.

Haxi has won an appeals trial in the Norwegian Court of Appeals, following a police complaint on the “pirate” taxi company in 2014.  Three of Haxi’s drivers were accused of running an illegal taxi company and fined 8000 Norwegian crowns, which they refused to pay.  The court has now ruled that they were operating within the bounds of the law.

The court ruled that because they does not offer taxi services to people in the public domain, they do not fall under the regulations of transport legislation.

Donations for rides rather than direct payments

Haxi’s service is based on an app where individuals can register as drivers that users can request to get a ride from.  Rather than taking money directly for a trip, passengers can donate money to their driver.  The platform now has 7,000 users registered in Norway.

What the future will bring for Haxi and similar transport services remains uncertain, and the Nordic countries, as with the rest of the world, are continuously evolving their stance on disruptive transport companies.  Just recently on February 15, the Danish police charged Danish Uber drivers for violating transport legislation.

Check out the app here.