Vintage Mercedes rides: Finnish man hacks taxi regulation, grows non-licensed, legal “Vintage Taxi” company
One Finnish man found a loophole in the strict regulation of the Finnish taxi market. Tero Takamaa from Jyväskylä operates cars with museum status. He does this without a taxi permit while Uber faces legal trouble in the country.
Takamaa sold his Rolex watch to buy a 1973 Mercedes-Benz W 115 series. The sedan is known for its vertical headlamps. An experienced driver, Takamaa started the business because of his frustration with Finnish taxi regulations and unfair labor practices by previous employers.
The museum loophole
In Finland, cars over 30 years old can be exempt from requiring a taxi permit. This license is usually mandatory for transporting people commercially for a fee. The exemption exists for rides at museums and special events.
A car registered for museum use has few restrictions provided the insurance is correct. Limited insurance allows for 30 days of use per year. While anyone can get a license to drive a cab, the number of taxis in operation is tightly controlled. The state views cabs as essential infrastructure for a sparsely populated country.
Viimeisin automme katsastettiin tänään taksiksi… Heittämällä läpi…
Posted by Suomen VintageTaxi.fi Oy on Friday, December 16, 2016
Regulation and resistance
Finnish taxi regulation prevents drivers from only working in dense urban markets. This ensures service in rural areas. Standard fares protect customers from price hikes. The Finnish Taxi Owners Federation has expressed little understanding of why customers would choose services like Uber.
Federation members have called the police on Takamaa multiple times. It has no effect because the loophole is legal. Takamaa is not popular at taxi stations. He offers prices 15% lower than the standard maximum fare.
Takamaa refers to the establishment as the taxi mafia. He runs workshops for others wanting to enter the business through the vintage loophole. Customers in Jyväskylä find the old cars endearing. The Mercedes-Benz W 114/115 series is a notable example of industrial design that appears more luxurious than its original market segment suggested.
Expanding the fleet
Takamaa has added a 1984 Mercedes-Benz W 201 to his fleet. It is operated by his son. He hopes to expand the business to ten cars. While the police crack down on Uber, they must allow Takamaa to operate. Uber requires newer cars for safety, but vintage taxi passengers are usually looking for an experience rather than modern safety features.
Maintaining these cars for commercial use is difficult. Mercedes-Benz build quality is high, but time causes wear and rust. Takamaa performs constant maintenance to keep the fleet running.
Great idea!! Love old mercs. He should do other old cars too. A vintage taxi fleet :)
Arguably, Finnish police cracking down on Uber, while being bound to let Takamaa s Vintage Taxi operate, has an adverse effect to the intention of the legislation.
Arguably, Finnish police cracking down on Uber, while being bound to let Takamaa s Vintage Taxi operate, has an adverse effect to the intention of the legislation.