3 days ago
School leavers party for weeks on midnight buses, and Norway says it's gone too far
There is a broad acceptance in Norway that the school-leavers' party bus culture has to be scaled back.
The government is also worried about potential risks to teenagers' safety, as they dance on buses that are driven around during the night.
"We want this year's graduating class to be the last class that is allowed to use converted buses with sideways-facing seats and standing room while driving," says Jon-Ivar Nygard, Norway's Minister of Transport. "We can no longer send our young people off in unsafe buses."
For many prospective school-leavers in Norway the government's plan goes too far.
"The government wants to take away the sideways seating on the buses and just have group seating. I think it's the wrong way to go," complains Edvard Aanestad.
And when it comes to addressing problems of inclusivity on the buses, he and his friend Henrik believe the authorities are taking the wrong approach.
Only half of the 120 school-leavers in his year were part of a party-bus group, and they agree part of the reason was the high cost.
But the two young men say they spent years planning their celebrations, even getting jobs on the side to pay for the whole experience.
"This isn't going to help tackle exclusion," warns Edvard, who points out that banning some of the buses will mean there will be fewer buses to go around. "If anything, it's the opposite, so it's the wrong way to go."
