Tag Archives: Arctic Autorent
‘ILLEGAL/RECKLESS DRIVING NOT COVERED BY DAMAGE WAIVER’: Tourists take rental truck beyond road in Bjørndalen, abandon it when it becomes stuck; now also face criminal fines
Photo by Thomas Nilsen
Instant classic for the “don’t this if you’re a tourist in Svalbard” list: Visitors who drove a rental truck beyond the road onto the soggy tundra in Bjørndalen to “see wild animals in their proper element” got hopelessly stuck in mud and abandoned the vehicle without reporting it. So in addition to some hefty extra rental penalties they’re now facing criminal charges (and fines) for illegal driving that also violates environmental protection laws.
CLEAN START: Northernmost car wash trying again after shutting down for two years because vehicles got too dirty
It’s a classic paradox of modern Svalbard: vehicles get so dirty a cash wash can’t operate profitably. But the world’s northernmost car wash is trying again two years after closing, hoping a more versatile machine helps overcome strict environmental requirements and other difficulties that have left many car owners feeling soiled.
Stuck with muck: World’s northernmost car wash shuts down because cars are too dirty – but, hey, clean rentals
It seems like a winning business formula: lots of cars get very dirty and therefore need to be washed. But it turns out that’s a fatal flaw for the world’s northernmost car wash due to a very Svalbard specific problem: there’s no place here to dispose of all that muck and it’s too costly to ship it elsewhere.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Jan. 10, 2017
Company wants to build Rema 1000 grocery store – directly in front of competitor Svalbardbutikken
Longyearbyen may get a second grocery store as the company that owns the Rema 1000 chain is seeking to build one as part of the city’s central redevelopment plan.
