Fewer people travel by bus and train during the pandemic.
It can be good from an infection point of view.
But it has also resulted in greatly reduced ticket revenues and therefore those responsible for public transport have sometimes reduced the number of trips, to save money.
To ensure the frequency of trips and compensate the regions, the government is now investing, in consultation with the January parties, an extra billion in the spring change budget on public transport.
- We must not risk that public transport is reduced during the pandemic, and that it then does not exist when it is needed, says Climate Minister Per Bolund to SVT.
Last year, the regions received three billion from the state for public transport.
Two billion has already been set aside in the budget for 2021. Now it will be a reinforcement aimed partly at the regions that have lost the most in revenue, but also at those who have chosen to invest in public transport, despite the pandemic.
Bolund: No excuses not to bet
The regions themselves expect to lose as much as eight billion in revenue by 2021, but the Minister of Climate still believes that the regions as a whole are overcompensated, with all the different support during the pandemic.
Therefore, Per Bolund is critical of the fact that several regions choose to save money by deteriorating public transport.
- Yes, the regions have great responsibility in this situation, we expect them to also take their share of the responsibility, now there is no excuse for not investing, he says.
At the same time, the government promises a new common national ticket system for all public transport from north to south.
The moderates believe that the business community and not the state should take care of this, but the government promises that the system will be in use next year:
- I should be able to take my card, or my app and travel easily around the whole country.
It will be a great opening for more people to be able to use public transport, says Per Bolund.