Danish flex-traffic sector regulatory crackdown

The Danish Road Safety and Transport Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen) has initiated increased oversight in the flex-traffic sector to prevent individuals with serious criminal convictions from securing public contracts. This follows investigations showing that persons with criminal records had obtained multi-million kroner orders from providers like FynBus.

Specific scrutiny targeted companies linked to Hussein and Salah Salem Al-Badri, following Hussein’s 13-year prison sentence for drug smuggling and Salah’s sentence for leasing fraud. While the brothers sold their companies after inspections, regulatory oversight continues. Other companies, such as LS Busser and Reliable, have also faced leadership approval delays or the loss of driving permits.

In September, the situation escalated as three major flex-traffic providers—HA Logistik, Flex Fyn, and Flex Syd—suspended all operations due to an inability to pay wages or settle bills. These companies, owned by Yahya Majid Al-Shimmari, had performed publicly funded services totaling approximately 155 million DKK since early 2023. This stoppage follows the recent cessation of services by LS Busser and the loss of permits by Reliable.