Law and permits

Driving shifts and night duty: according to the KKV guidance, agreeing on them is allowed only if it is necessary and benefits consumers

7 September 2026, updated 1 November 2026 · Taksiuutiset editorial team

According to Taksiliitto (the Finnish taxi federation), a duty or driving shift arrangement is not as such against the Competition Act. According to the guidance of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV), however, agreeing on driving shifts can be allowed only if companies can show that it benefits consumers and is necessary.

Where the discussion started

Taksiliitto said in a press release on 7 September 2026 that MTV's Kymmenen uutiset (Ten o'clock news) on 6 September dealt with the end of night duty for taxis in several localities. According to the federation, the interview clip used in the broadcast was partly detached from a wider context. MTV's original broadcast has not been read for this article, so the information is based on Taksiliitto's description.

What the KKV guidance says

According to KKV's guidance for the taxi sector, driving shift agreements between competing taxi entrepreneurs can be cooperation against the Competition Act. Driving shift arrangements drawn up within a dispatch service owned by taxi entrepreneurs are equivalent to the entrepreneurs agreeing on shifts directly among themselves.

According to the authority, agreeing on driving shifts can, however, in principle be allowed only if companies can show that it benefits consumers and is necessary. This can be the case, for example, if there would not be enough cars on the road without cooperation and if every driver has a chance to get rides even when not on shift.

The shifts must cover only the times that are necessary to achieve the benefit. They must be ended if the necessity disappears, for example because a new competitor enters or the availability of taxis improves. KKV considers it unlikely in many localities that 24/7 shifts covering all days of the week and all times of day are necessary. In addition, drivers in the shift system must have the right to drive and a chance to get rides also outside their shift.

KKV recommends drawing up a written assessment of the need for and effects of the arrangement. Responsibility for lawfulness rests with the companies themselves, because the authority does not approve procedures in advance but intervenes when needed on the basis of an after-the-fact assessment.

Taksiliitto's view

Taksiliitto's chair Tuomo Heino says in the press release that he did not mean to claim that all duty shifts are prohibited. According to him, what is essential is why the arrangement has been made, how broad it is and whether it is genuinely needed to secure the availability of the service. The federation also reminds that the 2018 taxi reform removed the statutory obligation of taxi entrepreneurs to have a station location and to be on duty.

What this means for you

• If you drive in a shift system, according to KKV's guidance you must have the right to drive and to get rides also outside your own shift.
• According to Taksiliitto, KKV regards as problematic under competition law an arrangement that prevents an entrepreneur from driving when they would like to drive.
• You can ask your dispatch company whether the written assessment of the need for shifts, recommended by KKV, has been made.

The article is general information, not legal advice. In unclear situations, ask a lawyer. Sources read on 1 November 2026. Taksiliitto is a party to the matter.