The journey from Oslo central station to a Frogner apartment, where retired and former policeman Roald Berntsen lives, is 6.2 kilometres. The taxi bill came to NOK 909.

Berntsen is used to paying a maximum of NOK 350 for this taxi ride.

I initially reacted by saying that I did not want to pay. That was the first thing I said, says Berntsen to Nettavisen.

The pensioner is then told by the taxi driver that it is Sunday which is the reason why it was so expensive.

Berntsen is adamant that this is not the price he usually pays regardless of whether it is Sunday or not, but is then told by the driver to call the taxi company.

The pensioner takes the receipt and tries to call the taxi company. Nobody answers the phone. Berntsen has tried to call several times, but gets no answer.

I felt very deceived. Afterwards, I always ask for a fixed price. Then you get the right price, he says.

The owner of the taxi company, Mohammad Sajar Asghar, says that this is how the taxi industry is in Oslo today.

Everyone has their own prices. We have higher prices, many do. It is a free market, says Mohammad Asghar.

The taxi company has the same name as Asghar himself, writes Nettavisen, but a search on Proff.no reveals that his real name is Mohammad Sajad Khan.

Khan claims the increased prices are the reason why he also has to increase his prices.

Everything has become more expensive: petrol, tolls and insurance, he says.

Director Torbjørn Brenna of the Taxi Association blames the Conservative Party’s liberalisation of the taxi industry.

The consumers have been given a larger part of the job and must find out in advance which taxis they want and should take, he concludes.