Drunk man takes taxi from Copenhagen to Oslo and then refused to pay for 600km trip

A drunk man who took a taxi from Copenhagen to Oslo on New Year's Eve refused to pay for the 600km trip which took more than six hours.

A Danish taxi driver transported the inebriated passenger through three Scandinavian countries, driving for more than six hours to take the man to his home in the Norwegian capital.

Police received a furious phone call from the taxi driver in the early hours of Monday morning (1 January) who said that his passenger had walked off without paying the fare totalling 18,000 Norwegian kroner (€1,850).

"The driver saw the man had disappeared into the apartment. We were subsequently able to contact the man. He was sleeping in his own bed," Oslo Police operation leader Vidar Pedersen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

The man, who is in his forties, was woken up by police and ordered to pay the fare. He did not receive a fine for his initial refusal to pay the taxi driver.

Norwegian Taxi Association director Roar Refseth told NRK that this incident highlighted that it was important for drivers to be paid upfront.

"It is important (for taxi drivers) to ensure payment upfront (for long journeys), either at the time of reservation or through card or cash payment," he said.

But the Danish driver's concerns did not end after he was paid. While waiting outside the passenger's apartment, his car battery ran flat and he required assistance from a recovery vehicle.