Man who thought he was in a taxi gives the police five stars – “best ride I’ve ever had downtown”

A man who got into a stranger’s car in downtown Reykjavík at the weekend, fully convinced it was a taxi, has heaped praise on the capital-area police after they drove him home.

“I only waited seven minutes, which is a record,” says the man, 33. “There were two drivers, polite, and they knew exactly where they were going, even before I told them. They didn’t charge anything and even asked how I was doing. I gave them five stars.”

The man has since tried to rate the police on all the major apps but could not find them anywhere. He has therefore written a review on a map site where the police station on Hverfisgata now has the highest rating of any taxi rank in the city.

Taxi drivers are less pleased. “The state can’t just show up, drive people home for free and be friendly,” said a spokesperson for taxi drivers. “We can’t compete with that. Especially not the last part.”

The police want to stress that they are not a taxi service. A spokesperson admits, however, that calls have increased. “At the weekend we received four calls from people who wanted to book us on Laugavegur at three o’clock. One asked whether he could get a car with a child seat.”

The Icelandic Transport Authority is now examining whether police cars need a taxi licence. If so, they will have to install a meter, which by the authority’s calculations would make them the most expensive taxis in the Nordic countries from the first minute.