(cont. from § 10) Public transport issues (cont. TU5)
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD supports the committee's proposal as public transport is an important social function for accessibility and climate goals 1. KD argues that the government has invested in vocational adult education and universities of applied sciences to counter the skills shortage 1 2 and emphasizes the importance of safety 1. KD argues that measures are important despite criticism regarding the resources 3. S considers public transport to be crucial for the economy, the climate, and defense capability. S argues that the government's proposal on reduced support to the regions is worrying. S considers taxi traffic to be a crucial complementary service and wants to ensure connections between Gotland and the mainland. L wants fossil-free public transport by 2030 4. SD wants a national booking system 5. V 6 wants to introduce a Sverigebiljett for 450 kronor 6. M 7 wants a Sverigekort under 500 kronor 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Speakers (14)
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal for a decision.
Public transport is one of our most important societal functions. It is a prerequisite for society to be accessible to everyone, regardless of where one lives in Sweden's elongated land or what opportunities one has for private transport. By creating opportunities for people to travel to and from work, education, leisure activities, and services, public transport creates benefits for the entire society.
The concerns that travelers may encounter are canceled departures. Sometimes it is due to weather, and a good deal of us have experienced that during the winter, but sometimes there is simply a lack of staff. There is a great shortage of bus drivers, train drivers, and mechanics, and it is an issue that is extremely important to solve.
In the supplementary budget for 2023, the government therefore invested an additional 400 million kronor to strengthen regional vocational adult education within municipal adult education - komvux. This corresponds to approximately 7,400 places in vocational education at the upper secondary level within komvux during 2023. Additionally, 70 million kronor were added to the university college (yrkeshögskolan). This financed 950 places in the university college during the autumn of 2023. But there is also a need to increase the efforts for labor market measures, including matching services that can shorten periods of unemployment. Labor market training to counter the skills shortage and work placements to improve job opportunities are further measures that the government is undertaking.
Mr. Speaker! Commuting to work is not only important for making society accessible, but it is also a key factor in our endeavor to achieve our transport policy goals. By expanding labor market regions and reducing climate emissions, public transport is an important part of our work towards a sustainable society.
The government's climate policy is ambitious and effective. Together with other effective instruments, it will contribute to achieving the climate goals and the Swedish commitments in the EU. At the same time, it is absolutely central that all of Sweden can be part of the transition. The degree of electrification, energy efficiency, the share of sustainable renewable fuels, and the development of transport work are the factors that have the greatest significance for how emissions can be reduced within the transport sector.
Transport and infrastructure lay the foundation for the green transition. They are of crucial importance for both commuting and freight traffic throughout the country. To facilitate these important functions, investments must be made in several areas.
Mr. Speaker! In Sweden, we have a well-functioning model for organizing local and regional public transport. The responsibility is clearly defined, and in each county, there is a regional public transport authority that is to meet the needs of regional public transport and ensure that the goals for public transport provision are met. The State primarily contributes by financing the infrastructure required to operate the traffic.
The pandemic was a great strain on public transport. At the same time as travel decreased due to the restrictions, it was necessary to maintain the supply of public transport to reduce crowding and the spread of infection. The Riksdag made a decision on support of 7 billion kronor over a period of three years to the regional public transport authorities. It was an entirely necessary investment to compensate for the reduced ticket revenues during the pandemic.
Even though the pandemic has been a great challenge for public transport, we can discern a brighter future for the sector. There is an increased awareness of the importance of public transport because it is convenient and efficient. A desire to return to a more normal life after the pandemic means that more people have started traveling by public transport again.
Mr. Speaker! Safety in public transport is an extremely important issue. People should feel safe when they are waiting for the bus or walking to and from the station in the evenings. It is not honest citizens who should feel fear when staying in the public space, but it is the criminals.
The increased threat situation affects many parts of society. Within the transport area, travelers should feel safe when traveling by public transport, whether it is by bus, train, tram or metro, whether it is during the journey or when they are staying at the railway station or in the terminal. It is a matter of course.
Safety and security in railway and public transport is an important issue for us Christian Democrats and for the government. Therefore, on August 18 last year, the government tasked Trafikverket and Transportstyrelsen to investigate the need for and propose potential measures to strengthen protection. The assignment was to be carried out together with other relevant actors in the National Council for Railway and Public Transport Protection. Trafikverket and Transportstyrelsen were also to consult with the Cooperation Council against Terrorism during the execution of the assignment. The investigation assignment is just finished and has today been submitted to the government. It will be very exciting to see what has been concluded.
Ulrika Heie (C)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Magnus Oscarsson, for the speech! However, it raised a number of questions that I would like to get help in clarifying.
Right at the beginning of the speech, the member stated that there should be public transport "regardless of where one lives." I then became very curious about how the Christian Democrats, who also are responsible for the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, intend to realize that vision.
In this report, which is titled Kollektivtrafikfrågor, we can see that it states in the committee's position that "the share of passenger transport by public transport, bicycle and walking in Sweden shall be at least 25 percent in 2025, expressed in person-kilometers." That is next year.
The member stated themselves that one has a very ambitious climate policy. To increase public transport, cycling, and walking in Sweden and reach this goal - how far is it until then? I am asking out of genuine curiosity, because I think there should be quite a few initiatives that would need to be made to reach the goal as early as next year. And I perceive from the member that it really is the ambition to reach high-set targets when it comes to both climate and environment.
The second question I would like to ask concerns the supply of skills.
I am glad that the member really highlighted the investments in both vocational adult education and universities of applied sciences that the government made. It always sounds like a lot when it is several hundred million, but how many bus drivers will it be? We know that the skills shortage is great when it comes to both bus drivers and train drivers and so on. The member mentioned 400 million kronor, but it also costs quite a lot for each place. How much will that be enough for, and what does the government believe will be the effect of that investment?
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Ulrika Heie, for the questions!
I tried to explain how much this would mean. As the member says, one can speak of millions, and that might not sound like much. But this is, therefore, an additional 400 million to strengthen regional vocational adult education within the municipal adult education.
Is it then that everyone becomes bus drivers? That is probably not the case, but then at least the chance exists. In fact, it corresponds to 7,400 seats. In this situation, I still think it is something to bring forward as a good example that the government has seen and is trying to do something. Furthermore, an additional 70 million is added to the professional college. I imagine that somewhere there is the answer to the member's question. The concern has been seen.
When one listens to the train companies and other public transport companies around the country, one notices that the problem is not just that it has been a troublesome winter so far. In fact, some departures do not run because there are no bus drivers or train drivers, and so on. This is an important issue that is highlighted when one meets those who work within this field. Therefore, I think that somewhere it is very important that we have done something.
It was other issues that the member raised. We will take those later – I do not have time in ten seconds.
Ulrika Heie (C)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answers! I really appreciate the concrete information and getting to know how many resources have been invested.
But if you divide 400 million kronor by 7,400 places, you see that it is far from enough to cover the price per place for a bus driver training. It might be triple that, and then there would be nothing left. It might only be enough for a third as many places in the professional driver trainings that we know are very expensive. It might only be about 2,500 places left if we are to calculate back and forth now.
But I would like to dwell on my second question, the one that the member waited to answer, and so we can concentrate fully and completely on that.
We have different types of goals for public transport. Here, the goal is that the share of passenger transport by public transport, bicycle, and walking in Sweden shall be at least 25 percent in 2025, expressed in person-kilometers. My question then is how close we are to reaching the goal. I can imagine that there would have been big headlines if we had already reached the goal, so I assume we still have some way to go. I then wonder how far it is left to reach that goal and what measures the government will take to reach a goal that is actually set for as early as next year.
The Chairman said in his speech that there is a great eagerness to reach goals of various kinds. He mentioned both the EU's various climate goals and the Swedish goals to achieve this, and that is what I am very curious about.
How far is it left before the goal for the proportion of passenger transports that are carried out with the help of public transport is reached?
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Thanks to Ulrika Heie for another question!
Exactly, one can criticize whatever we do and think that it is too little money when it is boiled down. But I think that it is still important to take measures to try to address this.
Then this is not the only thing the government is doing, as I was mentioning, but it is more things that they intend to do to counter the skills shortage. It is this that I think it is important that one listens to and tries to do something about. That was the question.
Regarding the second question the member asked me, it is clear that the government is ambitious in terms of doing things in, for example, cycling. I know that at the Government Offices, they are reviewing how to address this. Sweden is a large cycling country, and I know they are reviewing how they can become even better regarding safety and other matters. The government has allocated funds with regard to just traffic safety, and cycling is a part of this. If people cycle on roads, perhaps cycle paths should be built or safety for cyclists improved in some other way. I believe that it is a very important issue. We will return to it, the member, when we come to the part about just cycling here during the spring.
Jamal El-Haj (S)
Mr. Speaker! We are now debating the report on Public Transport. We Social Democrats have three reservations and stand behind these, but to save time, I move for approval of only reservation 1.
Well-functioning public transport is a basic prerequisite for managing both work commuting and leisure travel. Public transport is also completely fundamental for us to be able to meet our time's great societal challenge, the climate, for only if we have a climate-friendly, resource-efficient, effective and sustainable transport system can we meet the climate challenge while simultaneously improving the possibility for people to travel from home to work, leisure activities, studies and everything else that makes life worth living.
Public transport is crucial for achieving well-functioning and ever-growing labor market regions. These facilitate skills supply and access to labor and enable increased access to jobs for the individual. Public transport is therefore directly crucial for our companies and for our economy - for the machinery of society as a whole to function.
These system-critical functions that public transport has appear, if anything, even clearer in the perspective that our country must also stand strong in crises and in the face of external threats. Public transport plays a central role for our civil and economic defense capability.
Mr. Speaker! There is a goal that was mentioned earlier, and I am happy to mention it again: by 2025, 25 percent of all trips shall be carried out by walking, cycling, and public transport, the so-called GCK goal. To achieve this goal, a well-developed and functioning public transport system is required.
To increase the proportion of public transport passengers, the entire public transport system must receive both increased capacity and higher quality. It must be safe and comfortable to travel by public transport. In this way, we can expand the labor market regions and thereby increase the conditions for jobs and growth.
The transport sector accounts for a large part of Sweden's emissions, and this must be taken seriously by every responsible elected representative. Seven of the parties in the Riksdag have during past parliamentary terms agreed on important goals to reduce emissions, including the climate goal that we within the transport sector shall have reduced emissions by 70 percent by 2030.
Public transport has very low climate emissions and is therefore absolutely important for us to achieve the climate transition. Against that background, the government's proposal to reduce the support to the regions is worrying. The regions' economic crisis will contribute to cuts in public transport and increased fares.
A well-functioning public transport must also exist during inconvenient working hours. It must not only be the profit interest that governs when public transport is available.
A well-developed public transport system is important for equality. It is primarily women, not infrequently in welfare professions, who travel by public transport. Investments in public transport are therefore simultaneously direct investments in equality and in making it possible for more women to travel.
Public transport must be made more accessible for people with functional variations. Even though progress in this area has been made, there is still a long way to go.
Taxi traffic is important as a complement for journeys where other public transport does not reach or is not an option. Taxi is furthermore completely crucial for people's everyday lives to function through functioning community travel in the form of special transport, medical travel, and school transport. There are worrying signs that some regions, in order to save money, are significantly hindering access to special transport for the people who are in need of it.
For us Social Democrats, it is obvious that all people, regardless of functional variation, should have the opportunity to travel. The freedom to be able to move must also include those people who, for example, lack sight or have impaired mobility. The transport service activity is a matter of freedom.
In 1990, the taxi industry was deregulated. However, the deregulation has unfortunately gone too far, and various app services are ruining serious actors by not taking employer responsibility and thereby dumping prices and conditions. This creates problems for taxi drivers, citizens, and serious taxi companies alike.
It is not okay that this important activity is burdened with these problems. Professional transport should only be carried out by serious actors. There should be fair conditions and competition on equal terms.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, all of Sweden shall live and develop. Therefore, I would like to take the opportunity to say a few words about the Gotland traffic. Gotland is a part of Sweden. It is therefore important that the connections between Gotland and the mainland function in the best possible way. We Social Democrats want to emphasize the importance of the Gotland traffic functioning and that it is possible for people to travel to and from Gotland at a reasonable cost.
Helena Gellerman (L)
Mr. Speaker! Today we are debating public transport issues. Public transport plays a very large role in people's everyday lives, in order to be able to coordinate their travels to work and education. Of all the domestic journeys we make, one in five is made with public transport.
A well-functioning public transport system is important for the entire transport system in Sweden to function. Public transport connects and interacts with transport on roads and railways as well as with shipping and aviation. Traveling by public transport also reduces emissions and congestion on the roads around our cities and larger urban areas. Public transport therefore needs to be expanded throughout the country.
From a climate perspective, public transport is currently the most important reason why we have such low emissions as we do in Sweden. It is very positive that the majority of public transport in cities is fossil-free today – it has happened very quickly. But the work for fossil-free status must continue, and therefore the Liberals want all public transport on road and rail to be powered by electricity or fossil-free fuels by 2030. We Liberals also want to accelerate the transition to fossil-free public transport by ensuring that the energy tax on electric buses is equalized with the tax for other public transport.
Mr. Speaker! The Liberals want to see an increased focus on the entire transport. How long does it take to travel from door to door? It is that time that counts for each of us when we transport ourselves.
If the total door-to-door time is to decrease, we must begin prioritizing all situations where one moves from one mode of transport to another. In addition to the obvious with timed schedules, we want to see more and better-placed park-and-ride facilities, better-equipped stops, and smoother transitions at our ports and airports. We must also focus on the experience and traffic safety for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities during transfers.
A pleasing example is therefore that there is finally a plan for a train connection to Landvetter Airport in connection with the railway expansion between Göteborg and Borås. The EU requires, namely, that all hub airports from 2030 shall be accessible by rail transport. At the same time, for the same reasons, we need to see expanded public transport to Arlanda in order to further reduce the dependence on the car.
Mr. Speaker! The Liberals safeguard the right to and the possibility of travel services. However, the number of granted applications for travel services has decreased recently, and we need to monitor the development of case law regarding travel service permits, especially permits for the visually impaired. More and more municipalities and regions are denying permits on the grounds that people who have a severe visual impairment or are blind can learn routes by heart. Since they can walk, they are considered not to need travel services even though they cannot see.
This sounds completely crazy. The Liberals believe that the right to transport services must be protected and that the justification for not granting transport services must have a better grounding in reality.
Mr. Speaker! Regarding transport services, I can also state that the Nordic countries have very different national transport service systems for persons with disabilities. This means that, unfortunately, there is currently no possibility to travel across national borders with transport services for persons living in the border areas. I therefore believe that a right to transport services across national borders for persons residing in the border areas should be ensured in a cooperation between the Nordic countries.
In general, we need to conduct a review so that people living in border areas in the Nordic countries can more easily commute to work across the border.
Public transport needs to be developed across the entire country. The Traffic Committee's group for research and future issues produced a research overview on mobility in rural areas during the previous parliamentary term. New forms of public transport, car sharing, combined freight and passenger transport, and electric cars can increase accessibility in rural areas in the short term. In the slightly longer term, drones, electric aircraft, and self-driving cars can contribute to increased accessibility.
I myself, here in the speaker's chair, have wondered based on the definition of public transport when we will discuss how self-driving cars could become a part of public transport. It is important to spread knowledge about which mobility solutions work in which contexts. Above all, we must spread good examples between the regions. We must not forget that it is the regions that have the primary responsibility for public transport.
Mr. Speaker! We need to accommodate technological development. With expanded broadband, digital services can give us the opportunity to make climate-smart choices in transport. Today we have car-sharing, electric scooters, electric bicycles, moped cars, and in the future, self-driving cars. I believe we need to investigate how it can be made possible for these new means of transport to be included in public transport in a different way. This should also include the sharing economy's new concepts for taxis. The regulations need to be reviewed so that we take advantage of the opportunities in technological development. This applies not least in rural areas.
Mr. Speaker! Swedish public transport is going through a difficult time after the pandemic. The demands to maintain the traffic so that people could get to work, while there are relatively few passengers, still create economic concerns for many regions and companies. This is what we hear from public transport.
Sveriges bussföretag, Tågföretagen and Svensk Kollektivtrafik launched the initiative Nystart of public transport in Sweden during 2022. Here are a number of interesting proposals on how public transport can become more attractive for people all around our country. It is also important to note that most of the proposals here are something that the regions themselves have control over. But there are, therefore, many good proposals.
I therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision.
Jimmy Ståhl (SD)
Mr. Speaker! We naturally stand behind all our reservations, but I move for approval only to reservation 17.
We Sweden Democrats understand, unlike some other parties, that during one's life, there are different circumstances and opportunities to manage one's life puzzle. Sometimes it can sound from certain parties as if everyone lives near a subway, that the sun is constantly shining and warming, that the bicycle is God's gift to humanity and that public transport should be almost free.
Mr. Speaker! It is often said that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but what is free? Someone pays for what is free for someone else. It would of course be good if the cost of public transport became lower, but that presupposes that those who use public transport also pay to use it and that the destruction of the same ceases. Then I am thinking of graffiti, destroyed bus stops, and so on.
Public transport is expensive. We must try to find a way to reduce the cost in order to increase travel and frequency, not least in rural and sparsely populated areas, where public transport is at times more or less non-existent.
Every year, Sweden's regions pay nearly 50 billion for public transport. Half of this comes from ticket revenues and advertising and the other half from tax funding. However, the tax funding varies greatly. It varies between 44 and 80 percent. The problem with today's public transport is that the more people who travel by public transport, the more expensive it is for the regions. There should be smart solutions that make traveling cheaper the more people travel.
It is, however, pleasing that there is a development and a new way of thinking to bring down costs and utilize public transport more effectively. Now, trials are being conducted to have public transport on demand in certain places, that is, demand-responsive public transport. It works quite well. The hope is that this will have a good impact and that the accessibility to public transport increases.
Mr. Speaker! In order to get more people to use public transport, it must be easy to do the right thing. For a longer period, there has been talk about trying to establish a national ticketing system, but this has not yet been introduced. An investigation was carried out, and it was concluded there that this needed to be investigated further.
The state should, in cooperation with the country's public transport authorities, develop a common booking system for all public transport in the whole of Sweden. There are good examples of how national ticketing systems work. For example, parts of the committee were in Switzerland to see how they had succeeded there. It worked very well, even if not all public transport companies were satisfied with the solution because they did not receive as much as before.
In connection with an upcoming introduction - for I sincerely hope that such will occur - one should also review the possibility that ticketing systems and sales channels should be adapted to the greatest extent possible so that persons with different disabilities can complete ticket purchases without the help of others.
Let me return to what I began my speech with, putting together the puzzle of life. We Sverigedemokrater want to make it easier to travel by public transport by having municipalities build safe and secure park-and-ride facilities. If one can, one should also make these into hubs, where it is possible to choose between different modes of transport.
For many, the car is an important means of transport to make everyday life work, not least when one has children. Not everyone lives next to a stop, which means that the car or the bicycle is part of the journey. This applies in particular to those who drop off and pick up children, so that the children do not have to be at the preschool all day.
Mr. Speaker! Shipping may not be the first thing one thinks of when talking about public transport. Our waterways are far too underutilized, especially now when the ambition is to try to increase public transport. There is already some public transport on the water today, but this share can increase quite a lot.
We were some who visited the Safety & Navigation Group a while ago. There, we were given the opportunity to ride on a boat from Candela. It is electric-powered and driven by a hydrofoil. When the boat increases in speed, the boat is lifted up, and only the hydrofoil is in the water. This ensures that no waves and no wake are formed. With this technology, Candela has received a dispensation to travel at 25 knots, that is to say 46 kilometers per hour, instead of today's 8 knots, approximately 15 kilometers per hour, which is the speed limit so that too many wake waves are not created, which in turn damage moored boats and other traffic in the shipping lanes.
Candela informed that with this exemption, one can travel from Ekerö into Stockholm in 25 minutes. That distance takes 55 minutes by car or bus today.
Mr. Speaker! I shall move on a little to the transport service. We have a number of proposals to improve it for those who have a need for transport service.
It is about a review of, among other things, the transport service act to identify obstacles for those who practice para-sports. This concerns, for example, the possibility of bringing a special wheelchair, the limitation on the number of transport service trips, and the possibility of personal assistance in connection with the practice of sport.
It is about supplementing the transport service act with a purpose where it clearly appears that the transport service shall make it possible for persons with disabilities to settle, work, study and have an active leisure time. Without opportunities to move smoothly at a reasonable cost, it is not possible to be active and participatory in society.
It is about supplementing the transport service act so that the traveler has the right to make short stops during the journey. This could, for example, involve picking up and dropping off children at preschool and school, picking up parcels, visiting pharmacies and the like. This is something that would otherwise require new travel bookings and additional waiting times.
It is about reviewing the possibility of legislating the right to transport services in another municipality. Municipalities have the possibility to offer this but no obligation.
It is about the regulations of the transport service being returned to the Social Services Act. The transport service shall be individually adapted as far as it is possible. It is not sufficient to regard the transport service as a public service for people with disabilities.
It is about a review of the transport service's function and supervision, as well as sanctions and compensation to affected customers. The conditions for people with functional impairments differ depending on where one lives, which means that the transport service does not function as it should. It can, for example, be transport service vehicles that never show up or that are so late that one misses booked meetings.
Linda W Snecker (V)
Mr. Speaker! Vänsterpartiet proposes that a Sweden ticket of 450 kronor should be introduced. It shall apply to all public transport in all of Sweden. The journey to work should not, after all, dig a large hole in your wallet. For the climate transition, it is absolutely necessary that we travel more by bus, train, commuter train, and boat - all the means of transport that are included in regional public transport.
But the bus must run more often, and it must be significantly cheaper than today. Therefore, Vänsterpartiet proposes that a Sverigebiljett should be introduced - a ticket for all public transport. Forget complicated apps and this business of registering bank cards and choosing zones. It should be a ticket for 450 spänn, which is valid in all of Sweden.
But instead, the development is going in the completely wrong direction. The price of single and monthly tickets has increased by 139 percent over 20 years, and every fourth journey by public transport has disappeared in comparison to 2019.
The climate goal, which the Riksdag has decided on and which concerns reducing the transport sector's emissions by 70 percent by 2030, has been placed by the Minister for Climate and Environment into a three-week investigation conducted by an economist who easily brushes aside everything called climate emissions.
Domestic transport accounts for a third of Sweden's total emissions. Road traffic, in turn, accounts for more than 90 percent of the transport sector's emissions.
Vänsterpartiet wants a new investment support for public transport to increase climate ambitions in public transport and ensure improved frequency, a clearer climate profile, and improved accessibility. Therefore, we allocate 5 billion kronor annually to contribute to an expanded and improved public transport system, which also includes electrified bus lines with associated electric bus fleets. To invest in the Sverigebiljetten, we allocate 5 billion this year and 10 billion next year.
Mr. Speaker! Our way of building societies and transporting ourselves must be based on sustainability for ordinary people. It must be possible to take the bus to work at a reasonable price. Many of us realize the necessity of making the transition. Infrastructure must be planned based on environmental goals but also based on the fact that municipalities and regions have great needs for work commuting, labor market expansion, and sustainable transport.
But instead of investing in, for example, urban environment agreements that help municipalities build for good public transport, the government is scrapping the agreements. Instead of focusing on reducing car traffic, as is done in many cities across Europe, the Swedish Transport Administration works based on models that upgrade car traffic and devalue the time on trains.
There is much that needs to be changed, but one step in the right direction is to introduce a Sweden ticket. I move for approval of reservation 12.
Linus Lakso (MP)
Mr. Speaker! It is a pleasure that I get to have my first debate as a member of the Committee on Transport.
Mr. Speaker! It has become ridiculously expensive to travel by public transport. We in Miljöpartiet want to change that. We need a monthly pass that applies to all public transport in the entire country, just like in Germany. It should cost under 500 kronor a month and half of that for young people, students, and pensioners - a Sverigekort.
The cost for public transport passengers has increased by approximately 140 percent over the last 20 years, twice as much as the price of gasoline. But so far, nothing has been done to lower the costs for those who travel by public transport – in any case, far too little has been done. At the same time, 31 billion kronor were spent last year on fossil subsidies. This is contrary to what we need to do to achieve the climate goals.
Public transport is used by 81 percent of Swedes. Half of Sweden travels by bus and train every month. That is a total of 1.7 billion journeys per year. It is a giant machinery of capillaries that keeps our country, our jobs, and our economy running. But a bus ticket has today become a class issue in Sweden.
Mr. Speaker! Prices have skyrocketed while a large part of the budget instead goes to fossil fuels, and this primarily benefits high-income earners. Such a policy leaves over 8 million public transport passengers behind. A Sweden card would help here. I am pleased that Vänsterpartiet has stood behind such a proposal. I hope that more parties in the Swedish Riksdag will do so.
To partially address any criticism that a Sweden card does not help everyone – it does not help those who do not have access to public transport – I would like to take the opportunity to mention that we have submitted a long series of proposals to support households in a way that does not increase emissions. It is about lowered taxes in rural areas. It is a proposal that would give rural drivers more in their wallets than what they receive with the government's petrol tax reduction.
We also want a leasing support for electric cars for people with lower incomes - at least 1,500 SEK per month - so that those who cannot or do not want to buy an electric car can still drive in an environmentally friendly way and at a low operating cost. We also want to inflation-proof several supports that are important for Sweden's families with children, for example, child allowance and housing allowance. We therefore have a package solution. But Sverigekortet is an important part of this.
Mr. Speaker! Public transport is a regional issue, I heard it claimed. But so is healthcare. It is clear that the state must take responsibility and provide support when both are on their knees. Healthcare is still discussed vigorously within national politics, but public transport is discussed far too little.
It is time for more parties to see the seriousness of this situation. In Norrbotten, a monthly pass costs over 3,000 kronor, while it costs only a third for public transport in Stockholm.
For Miljöpartiet, the answer to this situation is simple. We want to significantly reduce the costs for sustainable travel, which in particular would benefit low-income earners with small margins.
Furthermore, as mentioned, there is a lack of a national ticketing system for public transport. This is also an issue that we have pushed for previously. It complicates travel across county borders or when one wants to travel by public transport in another region that one is traveling to. A "Sverigekort" also solves this problem. But regardless of this, a national ticketing system should be developed. This is also a task for the national public transport authority that we believe is needed.
Mr. Speaker! Entirely unnecessarily, we have an inequality in Sweden when it comes to people's opportunities to transport themselves. We have an opportunity to level this inequality while simultaneously simplifying and streamlining for ordinary people. Our answer is Sverigekortet.
We have many other reservations in this report that we stand behind, but for the sake of time, I move for approval of reservation 14.
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Linus Lakso for an interesting speech. I also welcome him to the debate in the committee.
The Speaker brought up the Sweden card. No one could have missed it. But for those who might be listening to this, and for me, it would be interesting to know what costs this entails. We know that the Sweden card will cost less than 500 kronor, I believe. But what will it cost the state? Somewhere this must be accounted for, and it could be interesting to know if Miljöpartiet has conducted any cost analysis. That is my first question.
Linus Lakso (MP)
Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question. Of course, we have conducted a cost analysis, and it is included in our budget. This was, in itself, an expected question, and I should have had the figure in my memory. But take me with a grain of salt: I believe it landed at 8 billion kronor per year, and it is, of course, included in our budget.
I can also take the opportunity to mention that we have submitted an investment budget for the climate of 100 billion kronor per year which frees up resources. This is included in an operating budget. But then we can also invest much more in both public transport and the railway, but also in the climate measures that are actually needed. We have a climate crisis here and now, and we need to get the solutions in place here and now and not later. It is therefore justified to invest in this.
I have also noted that the member's party leader has opened up for having an investment budget to solve acute problems. I look forward with anticipation to where this will land.
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Linus Lakso for the answer.
I was going to ask another question. Sweden is large and long, and many people live all around in our entire country. But it is not everywhere that there is public transport. How do the members and Miljöpartiet think about that? Do you want to strengthen public transport?
I come from Östergötland, and Miljöpartiet was previously involved in governing the region there. But there, several lines were discontinued. What is Miljöpartiet's thinking there? Will you strengthen public transport in the regions?
Linus Lakso (MP)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Magnus Oscarsson for a very important question. Of course, one should be able to travel throughout the entire country. And I believe that in my speech I touched upon the fact that public transport does not solve everything. I was myself raised in a small village in the interior of Västerbotten, and I have relatives and friends who still live there. I therefore know very well what it is like to live in the countryside. And of course, one cannot have the same frequency of service everywhere.
Of course, we want a well-developed public transport system. But I also mentioned that we need other things to help people manage their everyday finances and at the same time be able to be part of the journey towards a fossil-free Sweden. In that regard, the electric car is naturally a low-hanging fruit. And we want to give people in rural areas extra support so that they can buy an electric car, in addition to wanting to lower taxes in rural areas. We also want to provide a leasing support for low-income earners so that they can afford to lease an electric car if they cannot afford or do not want to buy an electric car.
This enables people to travel fossil-free and cheaply throughout the country because an electric car has low operating costs. This is an example of complementary measures that we want to see to meet the climate goals and at the same time make it possible for people to travel both cheaply and fossil-free.
The deliberation was hereby concluded.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.