Dog-powered taxi

Visitors to Kirkenes in the north of Norway now have a new transport option to carry them between the airport and the town. A dogsled taxi service is available to carry visitors to the Kirkenes Snowhotel. Special permission was required to allow this unusual transport option for a number of reasons. The service passes through a reindeer area, so permission had to be obtained from the owners of the land. The authorities also had to give permission for the dogs to be allowed onto the runway without causing a security issue. And as the dogsled route runs close to Norway’s border with Russia, permission had to be given by the border police. Users of the service are offered warm clothing and each sled can accommodate two passengers, but the 45-minute journey is not for the frugal and costs €272, which is rather more than a conventional (and arguably more comfortable) taxi.