Recently, Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg worked secretly as a taxi driver in central Oslo for an afternoon in a bid to woo voters in his country’s upcoming general election. Dressed in a taxi driver uniform and sunglasses the Norwegian Prime Minister drove around the streets of the Norwegian capital for several hours.
Mr Stoltenberg said he wanted to hear what Norwegian’s really felt about their politicians and what they wanted for their country. He added, “If there is one place where people say what they really mean about most things, it is in a taxi. Right from the gut”.
Category: Norway / Prime Minister / Taxi driving
New York’s famous yellow taxis are set to change. New York City has picked the Nissan minivan to be its next cab. The Japanese car company Nissan Motors has won the contract to provide the next generation of New York taxis. The deal was announced recently by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It is estimated to be worth US$1bn (€692m).
The design will be based on Nissan’s NV200 minivan model. Nissan beat US carmaker Ford Motor and Turkish manufacturer Karsan Otomotiv for the 10 year contract, which will be phased in starting in 2013. Mayor Michael Bloomberg acknowledged the Nissan NV200’s boxy form evokes suburbia, but said the yellow paint would give it the iconic New York touch.
The vehicle features an overhead window to offer views of city skyscrapers, and charging stations for mobile phones and laptops. The car will also feature satellite navigation, so passengers leaving the main Manhattan corridors will not have to contend with drivers who do not know their way around.
Category: New York / Transport / Yellow Taxis
