With Uber’s withdrawal from Norway, and progress toward making central Oslo a mainly pedestrian zone, a riding center operator has renewed his request for a license to bring back horse-drawn cabs for the first time since 1951.
Lena Kragh, who operates the stable, told NRK radio “Oslo is going to be traffic-free, so we think something should be done about the city’s appearance. It could look very pleasant with living animals and horses.”
A previous request in 2008 was turned down because the city felt that adding the cabs to the traffic mix would raise safety and congestion problems, but Kragh hopes the changed circumstances will get favorable attention. “We do not see it as just needing a large truck and a stable somewhere in the city. But maybe there is now enough space,” she said.
The city urban environment department has promised an answer soon.
Image: Horse Drawn Cabs at Evening, New York by Childe Hassam, 1890