Singing Will Earn You a Free Ride in Finland's New Taxis This Weekend

In Finland’s Singalong Shuttle, you’ll get a free ride just for singing—and not even for singing particularly well. Run by clean energy company Fortum, the taxi service accepts karaoke performances as the only form of payment, Lonely Planet reports.

A tablet placed inside each vehicle lets passengers select a song and sing along to lyrics displayed on the screen. If riders are suddenly struck with backseat stage fright and stop singing, the car will come to a stop.

Sadly, the service will only be offered during the Ruisrock music festival in the southwest city of Turku from July 6-8, but the company hopes it will start a discussion about clean energy that outlives the promotion. All of the taxis will be electric, emission-free BMW cars.

“With Singalong Shuttle, we want to show people in a joyful way how comfortable and easy it is to drive an electric car,” Jussi Mälkiä, Fortum’s brand manager, told Lonely Planet. “The silent electric cars make it possible to enjoy singing without background noise and emissions.”

Finland isn’t the only place where you can get your karaoke cab fix, though. The company Green Dot Taxis in Boldon, England, encourages riders to belt out a tune, and in the U.S., the “Car Trek Karaoke Cab” in Northern Michigan is equipped with laser lights and a karaoke machine (with microphones, of course).