Public transport issues

Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)

Mr. Speaker! We will now debate report TU5 on public transport. The report deals, among other things, with about fifty motions from the autumn's general motion period. These individual proposals have been grouped into categories such as safe, equal and cross-border public transport, public transport on water, ticketing systems, travel services and certain other issues.

For me, this is one of the main reasons why I chose to engage in politics in the first place. The very first reason I received was when, as a mathematics teacher, I stood there and was not allowed to buy a set of mathematics books for a class. I felt: How damn hard can it be? After that, the step was quite easy to take; there was so much to work with, and the trains - a functioning public transport - were the next issue.

Why this specific question? Well, it is so small yet so enormously important in people's everyday lives. It is one of those questions that determines whether the day becomes good or not, a bit like good or less good coffee for the coffee drinker in the early morning. It is about a functioning public transport where the social contract holds together and where exactly what I wish for is delivered: a train, a bus, or a boat that arrives when it is supposed to, goes when it is supposed to, and takes me to my destination exactly according to plan.

Mr. Speaker! Public transport is close to people. We use it in different ways, more or less, during all phases of life. The responsibility for it lies ultimately with municipalities and regions. In addition to the expectation that public transport takes me where I want to go when I want to, there is an expectation of a service level that makes the journey worth the journey.

The journeys with Mälartåg in my home province of Sörmland are a fantastic example of exactly this. There is variety among the seats, ranging from single seats to four-person tables. There is space for the stroller, the wheelchair, and the large luggage. There are plenty of charging outlets right by the seat, which makes it convenient to start working immediately.

A few days ago, I had a conversation with Annette, one of the train's employees whom I have praised several times before because she is part of exactly that kind of travel experience where it feels like you are met with a: "Oh, finally you've stepped on! Now we're going to make sure to make your journey to work or back home exactly as you wish." Annette departs from Hallsberg and is a real star at service and interaction - and it certainly shines through that she has previously worked as a flight attendant.

What do I want to say with this then? Well, with more training opportunities that ensure the competence is available and remove the obstacle of traffic being halted due to a lack of staff, and with more like Annette, who with a sense of tact and security takes her part of the social mission to new heights, the journey can offer opportunities that the journey by car will never ever be able to compete with. It is about service and security together with reliability and punctuality creating the attractive travel, which by delivering can also compete.

Mr. Speaker! Last week I was on several high school visits in Södermanland schools. Both at Nyköpings enskilda gymnasium and at Europaskolan in Strängnäs, I met students who spoke about young people's opportunities.

They spoke about the freedom to be able to go where they want and that thanks to public transport they had had the opportunity to choose just their fine school even though they didn't actually live nearby or even in the municipality. Joanna, who lives in the countryside, can take her A-tractor to the commuter parking lot to then smoothly travel by public transport for the large part of the journey. The students also spoke about how the shared experience of the journey is affected by it being clean and tidy. Equal travel is completely obvious for these young people, and both girls and boys highlight that safety is an important factor when they travel home alone late in the evening after training.

This clearly shows that municipalities and regions with a well-functioning and reliable public transport create conditions for labor market regions much larger than before, whether it is about young people broadening their options in the choice of school or whether it is about adults who are given a large range of job opportunities. Collaborations across municipal, regional, and county boundaries open up opportunities and create development.

Mr. Speaker! For me as a Moderate, a well-functioning public transport system is more important than high-speed trains. Having tracks that hold up, are maintained, developed, and have the conditions to withstand Swedish weather conditions creates the conditions for climate-smart choices in everyday life - every day. With more stations instead of fewer, if the train would have sped past at a dizzying speed, we create station stops and regional development in a climate-smart way far more effectively for many more.

Municipalities and regions in cooperation in Mälardalen are at the forefront with the common ticketing system Movingo, where the journey is made just as smooth and flexible as it should be to be the attractive alternative. Everything is conveniently available in the app, from A to B. It is easy to book and easy to travel across county borders. To make public transport more efficient and accessible, new solutions are needed. Digitalization, sharing services, and combined mobility can be the decisive tool in the work to reduce the need for private car transport.

Above all, it is in less densely populated parts of the country where there is a need for innovative solutions that help and facilitate an expanded public transport system where empty buses are devastating, but where something as simple as on-demand transport can contribute to the supply where the need exists.

One example is Alice and Ebba's school bus: the girls easily follow the bus's journey in real-time, from the start to their specific stop, directly on their mobile phones—all from our kitchen table in the morning, while they drink hot chocolate and plan the day. It is a safe journey, with clear expectations and clear information. With more money for road maintenance, the bus's currently somewhat bumpy journey will also become much more pleasant. The journey will go somewhat faster and the bus will be an attractive means of transport.

Mr. Speaker! When the train runs as the train - an expression we must reclaim - the share of climate-smart travel in our jointly undertaken journeys can increase. With robustness in the system and guaranteed train positions for study and work commuting regionally, this can be a part of the transition to reach the climate goals.

Public transport is for everyone. The stroller shall be able to travel on the bus or the train and the wheelchair likewise. In other cases, special transport is a decisive factor for people with disabilities to be able to participate in society and live an active and independent life. We emphasize therefore that special transport is a democratic issue that concerns both rights and living conditions. Everyone who has a right to special transport shall also receive it. It is a matter of freedom.

In conclusion, I would like to mention something about the importance of public transport throughout the country. Gotland has a special situation that is not found anywhere else. No one else has their motorway closed for a large part of the day in the same way as when the Gotlanders' road to the mainland, and our road to them, is closed. Therefore, it becomes even more important to resolve the situation so that the number of departures at attractive times is ensured and so that the price is also reasonable. Both freight and residents and tourists should be able to travel in a fast, smooth, climate-smart and cost-effective way. Exorbitant prices and strange departure times risk seriously damaging regional development.

We are following the development extremely closely so that Trafikverket provides us and the people of Gotland with affordable and competitive journeys with good frequency. Both the parsnip and the work commuter, grandmother, and holidaymaker shall be able to travel to and from the island.

With that said, I move for approval of the committee's proposal.

(Applause)

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TALMANNEN

I remind you that it is not permitted to use swear words in the chamber.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage, for a very fine description of public transport. I think we all certainly agree on how we want it to function, regardless of whether it is about the big city or the countryside.

I listened for a long time to the whole-country perspective. It also came linked to the parts that are seen as necessary for us to be innovative and that it should be possible to live and reside in the whole country. Just as the wheelchair, the stroller, and everything that Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage mentioned should be possible to transport with the countryside's various public transport solutions.

I would like to ask a few questions. Anne-Sofie Lifvenhage mentioned in the introduction which headings it fell under. I know that the member is engaged in the possibility of the cross-border, not only across the county border but also across, for example, the national borders in the Nordic region.

I read in the report that in November 2022 in Fredrikstad in Norway, the Nordic ministers agreed to consider a common Nordic strategy for the long-term development of cross-border relations based on the individual countries' strategic transport plans. It was said in 2022. In Sweden's direction to 2024, when one leads the work, it states again the exact same wording about considering a common Nordic strategy.

I would like to take the opportunity to ask Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage, who after all belongs to the Prime Minister's party: When will the proposals arrive? Will they be considered and then let be? In what way will the government highlight and, to a greater extent, facilitate the cross-border relations but also the transports of various kinds?

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Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for an important question!

I believe in cooperation and collaboration. We have seen that in several places in the Nordic region. For example, we from the Moderate part of the Transport Committee went on a study trip to the Öresund region. There we see that we even have a joint company between Denmark and Sweden in order to effectively ensure that we have commuting and freight that moves smoothly and seamlessly across the borders.

I see no obstacles to us having similar solutions in other parts of the country. This applies regardless of whether it concerns traffic towards Finland or towards Norway.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you very much, Member Lifvenhage, for the answer!

I want to be even more concrete. When will this opportunity come? The Government has stated in its program that a common strategy should be considered. The Member sees no obstacles to it being able to happen. The example is the very densely populated region that the Öresund region is anyway.

We have, for example, a very long border with Norway. In what way does the member intend to drive this so that it still becomes a reality? There is a difference between saying that one sees no obstacles and driving a policy that provides the conditions, also in our more sparsely populated areas, for a public transport system that functions across the national border.

I am very eager for the member to elaborate on it and can tell us others when the member believes it can become a reality also from the national level.

I am also a bit wondering about the other very important part that the member mentioned, namely the Gotland traffic. We have many ferries around our country's borders where the waterway is the route one has to the mainland.

The Chairman mentions that it is Trafikverket that must ensure that we get good departures and good prices. But that also requires the government to provide additional funds so that it can be done in that way.

I would like to hear a little more about that. The funds that have been allocated from the government parties' side are not at all sufficient to be able to tackle the challenge of both having expanded traffic and not having exorbitant prices. I would also like to have a clarification there.

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Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thanks again to the member for once again pointing out important issues!

I see no obstacles to further cooperation and collaboration across municipal boundaries, regional boundaries, and national borders. I believe in cooperation. It is when we work together and have close collaborations that we can develop and find solutions for the future. I repeat that I see no obstacles to having cooperation and collaboration across our Nordic borders.

The member's second question concerned Gotland's transport. It is an incredibly important issue for us in government. It should be just as smooth to travel across the entire country. Some regions are more complicated because one does not have a permanent land connection, such as Gotland.

We will also continue to actively follow the work being done. It is so that we can have goods. We have learned that parsnips basically only grow on Gotland and need to come to the mainland. But it is equally important that grandmother should be able to make a visit to the grandchildren without it being very expensive.

This is an important issue. We will follow it in the same way as we have done so far. We have added funds to be able to have prices that meet the unfortunately increased cost of fuel. It has been a one-time thing. But we will follow up on it every time depending on how the development looks. We follow that closely. It is extremely important with a smooth connection between Gotland and the mainland in both directions.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! All our modes of transport are also a part of public transport. It depends on where we live in the country whether we are dependent on aviation as a part of public transport or on the ferries, the trains, and the cars. Regardless of where we live, we should have an opportunity to also be able to travel by public transport.

That possibility does not exist today. There are very many people who are left essentially without public transport. Here, I would wish that the government parties were a bit clearer on in what way one intends to be innovative. On-demand transport is mentioned. That is no news. It has existed for quite a long time. We all strive for further innovative parts. We know that research is being conducted in different ways. It would be important to also take that part into account.

Mr. Speaker! I want to dwell on three different parts when it comes to public transport. It is about a strengthened public transport, about an equal and equitable public transport, and also about a cross-border public transport. I want to speak about what I had the privilege of discussing further in the exchange of remarks with Member Lifvenhage regarding the possibility of the cross-border.

It became incredibly clear when the pandemic hit that our open borders were closed incredibly quickly. It affected the supply of skills in border regions in a very strong way. Here, I am very eager that the government also takes it most seriously in what way those issues are driven in the Nordic cooperation.

I know that several members in the committee are very engaged in Nordic issues and would like to see a ministerial council linked to this. But regardless of whether there is a ministerial council or not, it is incredibly important that we resolve the cross-border issues. It is relatively easy to do so in densely populated areas, but it is significantly harder to do so in other parts, not least along the entire border that runs between Norway and Sweden.

I am pleased that the committee's majority text highlights some of what the Center Party has raised in its motions, namely enabling new collective transport solutions. I would very much like to hear more from the government parties, both the coalition party Sverigedemokraterna and the Liberals and Christian Democrats, what it is that they see from their side. What are new collective transport solutions? We cannot call on-demand transport a new solution, there must be something additional that they have in mind. I look forward to discussing this further.

When it comes to equal and equitable public transport, there is quite a lot to do in the area. We see now, for example, that women's labor market regions are significantly smaller than many men's labor market regions are. There, one can see that the time factor is an important part, but it also concerns the access to public transport.

The government parties have, in their rhetoric, highlighted the importance of precisely labor commuting. When the new main lines were stopped, it was this that was put forward instead. It is important that we should be able to commute for work, and I think that it is then important that this works in all parts of Sweden.

I am curious and would very much like to hear about further parts. When will proposals for a more equal public transport come from the government parties? So far, it has been relatively quiet regarding public transport. The government refers to it being a responsibility of municipalities and regions. But if we are to get anywhere, national regulations that are changed may also be needed. I am therefore curious about what is on the government's table.

We have not yet listened to the Minister for Infrastructure's party, so I hope that we will hear about some of the innovative solutions that are now hopefully being prepared at the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure. Just the beginning of the ministry's name brings to mind that there should be good solutions here, not least for the rural areas' opportunities. So far, we have mostly heard about the opportunities of the big city and solutions for public transport there.

When it comes to a strengthened public transport system, the innovations become extremely important. It surprises me that the initiatives being made at both Stockholm University and Lund University, with several of them on public transport research, are not being highlighted. I am a bit curious about how the government parties view these parts of the policy development and the inclusion of the research-based knowledge that is being highlighted.

Mr. Speaker! I mentioned roads, railways, ferries, and aviation in my introduction. I have not dwelt on all these parts, but I want to emphasize the ferries that exist along our coasts. It is sometimes about quite short distances, but it is nonetheless extremely important. It concerns people who, for example, live in the Karlskrona archipelago, where there is a problem linked to a significantly poorer frequency of service, which many of us in the committee have become aware of. This means that these rural areas do not become habitable for families with children and youth. We have all heard about the Aspö ferry and the possibilities to practice sports on land - if I can call it that - and then get home within reasonable times.

I hope that there is an intention among the government parties to review the rural perspective and in what way the countryside is accessible for families with children when it comes to being able to use public transport in the form of a ferry.

Mr. Speaker! The Centre Party naturally stands by all its reservations, but for the sake of time, I move for approval of only reservation 3.

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Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Ulrika Heie, for the opportunity and the pleasure of coming to the rostrum!

Ulrika Heie spoke about closed borders during the pandemic. If I remember correctly, Ulrika Heie was part of the government during that time and was involved in closing the borders. The closing of the borders had consequences of enormously large proportions for those who were excluded, for example down in Ystad. There were very many Danes who could not come from Denmark home to Bornholm or from Bornholm to Denmark.

We have raised the issue of this problem, and also the one concerning the Norwegian side. We must have good dialogues with our neighboring countries and find innovative solutions when we are forced to close the borders to protect our country. I have great understanding for that explicit measures were taken during the pandemic when one was seized by panic and did not know what the pandemic could do to society. We therefore have understanding that quick decisions were made, but now we can do it over and do it right.

Ulrika Heie also spoke about innovative public transport. Ulrika Heie and Centerpartiet have been part of the social democratic government. I would very much like to hear from Ulrika Heie what innovative public transport Centerpartiet and the previous government contributed during the years Centerpartiet was included.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Jimmy Ståhl, for the questions! I will gladly answer them.

On two occasions, the member says that the Center Party was part of the Social Democratic government. That was not the case. There was a January agreement, which meant that we agreed on a number of issues that we would pursue. It surprises me that such an incorrect description is being spread.

On the other hand, we pushed for different issues in the January Agreement that also had to do with infrastructure. A clear example was that we thought there should be a national ticketing system across the whole country. We were also involved when the investigation was commissioned that presented its proposal several years ago. It was an important part of being able to demonstrate exactly what Member Lifvenhage was referring to, namely that we facilitate travel across county borders and so on. Here, one has come far in Mälardalen, while in other parts of Sweden it is very difficult to get across the county border if one lives in border areas. Hopefully, there are more things in motion, but this is still an example of how we, within the framework of the January Agreement, pushed issues that were linked to infrastructure.

Other parts that the Center Party has pushed hard through the years concern the countryside's opportunities for good public transport. We have also pushed for further investments in renewable fuels and so on.

I am not quite sure, but I believe that the Sweden Democrats also stand behind the majority text in the report. The first sentence reads: The committee would first like to remind that the transport sector today accounts for almost one-third of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions. It is incredibly important that we also have innovative proposals there so that the sector does not be a climate villain in this context.

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Jimmy Ståhl (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The national ticketing system that Ulrika is talking about ended in an investigation which concluded that the issue needs further investigation. Unfortunately, it ended in nothing.

We Sweden Democrats are also very positive about this and are still pushing the issue of continuing to investigate it, because we need a national ticketing system. We need to make it easy to travel throughout Sweden. You should be able to know in Kiruna how you buy tickets in Gothenburg or Stockholm. Today, it is a bit of an adventure, and it is appalling.

If one looks at innovative solutions, it is not child's play. If it had been easy to create public transport and make everyone happy, it would have already been completed. The ticketing system is one part, but it is also, for example, about being able to get to public transport by creating park-and-ride facilities. In these park-and-ride facilities, naturally closer to the cities, one could create hubs where you can, for example, have rental bikes, rental cars and different types of transport in the form of buses, trams, metro and other possibilities to move further. Today, it is almost hopeless to even be able to drive to a parking lot to make life work.

When it comes to renewable fuels, we also think it is positive. The disadvantage is that this with the reduction obligation has driven up the costs enormously for all transport, not least for the ticket prices in public transport.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Jimmy Ståhl, for the various proposals on perhaps not so innovative but still necessary solutions to create a greater opportunity for the development of public transport.

The chairman said that the investigation commissioned during the previous government, at the time of the January agreement, did not lead to anything other than that there was a need for a new investigation. In the next sentence, he said that the Sweden Democrats support that a new investigation is needed. In that case, one shares the view that the investigation came to, and then it was still something.

It is not uncommon that when one delves into an issue, one sees a need for further deepening in order to be able to do the right things moving forward. Have you then appointed an inquiry, Jimmy Ståhl? If one arrived at the need for a new inquiry during the last parliamentary term and the Sweden Democrats now see a need for a new inquiry, the question then becomes: Has one appointed such an inquiry?

The Speaker says that the simple thing had already been done. Appointing an inquiry is many times not very difficult, but sometimes it is difficult to agree on which inquiry directives should apply. Perhaps it is this that is the difficult part this time, to reach an agreement within the Tidö parties on what type of inquiry one would need to conduct to facilitate traffic in the whole country.

It may seem odd to ask a question in the final line of an exchange of remarks, but I am very aware that the member still has speaking time in the rostrum. We then have the chance to continue the discussion. I am very curious about, since there are now so many ideas from the Sverigedemokraterna side, what one intends to make a reality in the near future.

(cont. § 12)

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