- Yes, we have just like all other county transport companies lost an awful lot of travel.
According to our assessment, travel in 2020 decreased by 46 percent, compared with 2019, says Thomas Nilsson, traffic director of Länstrafiken Kronoberg.
Expects to go back 120 million
Revenues decreased by 39 percent in 2020, excluding county traffic's state subsidy.
That is a sum of 116 million kronor and 2021 does not look brighter.
- Our forecast for 2021 is that we will go back about 120 million.
During the first quarter between January and March, we lost just over 43 million, says Thomas Nilsson.
Thieves
Thomas Nilsson explains that the county traffic has largely declined due to the reduced travel, but also that some people have ignored buying a ticket when you no longer get in front of the driver.
- We have started with the inspectors now and they have handed out some fines.
So it feels like we're starting to deal with that problem.
"Ten percent will not return"
According to Thomas Nilsson's assessment, they will be able to reach 80 percent of travel in 2022 and be up to 90 percent in 2023. In the industry, it is said that there is a loss of ten percent that will never come back.
- For us, ten percent corresponds to SEK 27 million in revenue.
My hope is that we will all be a little wrong: that travel will come back a little faster and also these ten percent.
What happens in the future, Thomas Nilsson believes, is a political issue. Whether Länstrafiken Kronoberg receives financial support or whether they have to cut back and save.