Swedish officials cracking down on Arlanda Airport taxi fraud!

New Arlanda Airport to Stockholm taxi regulations

It may be hard to believe that Sweden, of all places, deals with an epidemic when it comes to expensive taxi fraud. For many years, travellers have been swindled up to ten times the going rate for a simple trip from Arlanda International Airport (ARN) into Stockholm. Commonly, passengers fall prey to the confusing currency trick where the Swedish Krona (KRN) is commonly interchangeably with the Euro (EUR) and the traveller is told that the final price is in Euro, not Krona (1 Euro is about 9 Krona), thus expanding their profit margin on the dazed and confused tourist. This fraud practice has left many people with a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to visiting this Scandinavian country where prices across the board are already exuberant enough.

Swedish officials are finally clamping down on the fraud by requiring taxi drivers or their agents to discuss and agree upon the highest possible fare the passenger would be expected to pay for their entire journey the taxi leaves the curb. An example would be if the standard fare to Stockholm exceeds 500 Krona (about US$ 67 or EUR54) then the passenger must agree to this price before the taxi departs. Swedish officials are likely being proactive with the anticipation of Uber soon entering the Stockholm market with pre-paid fares as a mechanism to ensure travellers pay fair market price versus an almost guarantee fraud under the current status quo conditions. It does seem odd that for too long Swedish officials have turned a blind eye to the "unSwedish" behaviours in their capital city that have created a negative image for the country at the hands of some unethical taxi drivers in an oddly unregulated industry.

If you are heading to Stockholm anytime soon, then make sure you an agreement on the total maximum cost in writing (including what currency this will be in) before you jump into a taxi. If the taxi driver tries to justify an unwarranted increase at the end of your journey, then simply leave your money on the seat and walk away. As always with our recommendations anywhere in the world -- if possible carry all of bags in the backseat of the taxi and not the trunk to avoid any further scams occurring when you leave the taxi, including the taxi driving off with your personal luggage still in the trunk.

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Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) transportation guide
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