On four small Danish islands — Bågø, Endelave, Hjarnø and Orø – residents can now pick up paying passengers without being subject to any of the laws governing taxis on the mainland.

“We are talking about areas where it is not possible to get a taxi,” says Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen said in a press statement.

“With the island taxi scheme, we are ensuring maximum mobility by liberalising the rules so that everyone can give everyone a lift, without the need for a permit, seat sensor or taxi meter,” he said.

Drivers are required to have the necessary insurance and pay tax on ridesharing income.

While four islands have been approved for the scheme so far, several others have also applied.

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When the law was first announced in 2023, Danielsen said it would allow islanders “to fulfil the transport needs they have and receive payment for it,” referring to rural conditions with low public transport coverage on the islands.

Dansk Person Transport, which is the interest organisation for bus and taxi drivers, said it was critical of the deregulation because it could mean drivers with unknown medical or criminal histories, it said in comments to newswire Ritzau.

The move could also become a “slippery slope” to further deregulation, it added.