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Doubling the market share of public transport
The Swedish Doubling Project is a unique nationwide co-operation which involves all
employees in the sector. The common, long-term goal is to double the market share held
by public transport.
“Public Transport is a natural part of travel in a sustainable society. This is our vision,”
says Charlotte Wäreborn Schultz, Managing Director of the Swedish Public Transport
Association and chairman of the Doubling Project. A doubling of the public transport
market share produces major benefits for society. The goals are to significantly reduce
carbon dioxide emissions and to increase energy efficiency throughout the entire transport
system. A doubling will also give better road safety, less congestion and a transport system
that offers equal opportunities. Public transport also contributes to growth and regional
Charlotte Wäreborn Schultz,
Managing Director of the Swedish
Public Transport Association.
development.
A number of activities are in progress
“In order to double the public transport market share, there needs to be a shift in our
sector from a production culture to a service culture. Through new approaches and
smarter co-operation, we will increase the efficiency of our operations, extend the range
of transport services offered and raise the quality,” says Charlotte Wäreborn Schultz.
Effective and ongoing training activities for decision-makers and sector players will
increase the level of insight, involvement and willpower. Among the projects that are
currently in progress, mention can be made of co-ordinated information systems, future
payment solutions and various guidelines and recommendations pending the changes
that Sweden’s new Public Transport Act entail.
SWEDEN – PART OF THE GLOBAL
DOUBLING GOAL
Business Model for Doubled Public Transport
“It feels extremely gratifying that
doubling work is now being carried out
in many different parts of the world and
that Sweden could, with the work it has
already initiated, serve as a pilot for the
whole of Europe,” says Hans Rat, the
Secretary General of UITP.
The Swedish public transport
sector has reached agreement on the
goal of doubling its share of the market.
We are extremely pleased that our
doubling initiative is also supported
by the international public transport
organisation UITP. UITP’s goal “PTx2
– Public Transport times two” is to
double the public transport market
share worldwide by 2025.
In 2009, the sector presented a report entitled Business Model for Doubled Public Transport
as basic input for a discussion on how public transport should be developed in order to be
able to double the market share. This report was followed in 2010 by The Contract Process
– from plan to contract to double travel by public transport. The purpose of The Contract
Process is to provide proposals for the way in which the sector, with the help of developed
contract forms, should work towards achieving the doubling goal.
In this brochure, you can read more about the joint efforts being made by the sector on its way towards achieving the doubling goal. A number of best practices are also
described which will hopefully inspire and encourage others to follow.
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SWEDEN
Official name: The Kingdom of Sweden
Political system: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State:
King Carl XVI Gustaf
Prime Minister: Mr Fredrik Reinfeldt
(Moderate Party)
Languages: Swedish
Recognized minority
languages: Sami (Lapp)
Finnish
Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish)
Yiddish
Romani Chib
Population: 9 415 570
(Some 77 per cent of the
population live in urban areas,
21 per cent in near-urban
rural areas while just under
2 per cent live in rural areas)
BNP 2010:
352 000 SEK /capita
(USD 48 856)
Growth: 5.5 per cent
Largest cities: Stockholm (capital)
Gothenburg
Malmö
Noteworthy memberships: EU since 1995
WTO
OECD
Area:
450,000 km²
= 174,000 sq. miles
Forests: 53 per cent
Mountains:
11 per cent
Cultivated land: 8 per cent
Lakes and rivers: 9 per cent
Sources:
www.investsweden.se
www.sweden.se
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The eyes of the world are on Sweden
“When the new legislation on public transport comes into force in Sweden, I believe
the eyes of the world will be on us for one particular reason: they want to see if we can
achieve a balance between contracted and commercial public transport services,” says
Stenerik Ringqvist, who is a consultant and the Swedish Public Transport Association’s
representative in Brussels.
From 2012 onwards, new regional public transport authorities will be responsible for
political decisions and strategic development plans as well as for the scope of the public
transport offered in the various regions in Sweden. The transition to the new scheme will
Stenerik Ringqvist,
The Swedish Public Transport
Association’s representative
in Brussels.
take place successively and in step with the expiry of current public transport contracts.
One important aspect of the strategies followed by the public transport authorities will
concern what is required in order to achieve important social goals, for example the
possibilities to commute to work and to places of education.
“In order to achieve these social goals, the regional authorities will define what
should be part of a public service obligation, and thus included in a service contract
following a competitive tendering procedure, and what types of service are to be purely
commercial,” explains Stenerik Ringqvist.
The new Swedish Public Transport Act, which applies from 2012, does not allow
exclusive rights. This means in principle that all contracted services can be subject to
competition from one or more commercial operators. In those places where contracted
services are operated in parallel with commercial services there will be competitive
procurement, which could lead to a better range of services and to a greater freedom
of choice for the passengers.
“This is the dynamics of the new legislation. Anyone is entitled to compete on the
market,” says Stenerik Ringqvist. “The combination of procured and commercial transport
is exciting. Both the government and the entire public transport sector in Sweden are
convinced that it will benefit the passengers by creating new and more attractive public
transport services. This could in turn help us achieve the overall goal of a doubling of
public transport.”
How do Swedes travel?
In Sweden, the total market share held by public transport is 24 per cent, although the
regional differences are considerable. The largest market share is that attributable to the
metropolitan areas, with an average of 34 per cent. For the remaining parts of the counties,
the average is 12 per cent. The determining factor is the level of knowledge possessed by
residents concerning their public transport services, and how attractive they are compared
with the car.
The information on market shares and the travel habits of Swedish people is from
the Public Transport Barometer, a quality and public opinion survey. During 2010, some
54 000 interviews were conducted, 24 500 of which were held with people who travel
frequently by public transport.
THE ORGANISATION OF
SWEDISH PUBLIC TRANSPORT
On 1 January 2012, a new Public
Transport Act comes into force. New
regional public transport authorities
will be formed to be responsible for
developing the public transport system
in each region. Strategic decisions on
public transport will be made by these
authorities, which will mean greater
insight and better co-ordination with
other forms of social planning.
The public transport authorities will
decide on regional transport provision
programmes which specify the long-term
goals for regional public transport. They
will also decide on their public service
obligations, which mean the transport
for which they intend to be responsible
and which, as an undertaking to their
citizens, they guarantee to maintain.
The new Act also means that
commercial companies are free to set
up public transport services anywhere
in the country. All types of transport
operators, including the commercial
players, will have to submit information
on the range of services they offer to
be fed into a common system for passenger information.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN FIGURES
This is how Swedes travel
according to the latest
survey conducted in 2010.
City or local buses: 45 per cent
The Underground: 19 per cent
Regional buses: 11.5 per cent
Commuter or local trains: 12 per cent
Trams: 5.5 per cent
Regional trains: 5 per cent
Long-distance trains: 0.5 per cent
Other modes of transport: 1.5 per cent
For 37 per cent of all passengers, the
purpose of their journeys is to travel to
and from work and school. 21 per cent
travel by public transport to make
various kinds of purchases and some
20 per cent in order to visit relatives
and friends or to take part in various
leisure activities.
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6
ResRobot journey planner
finds smartest alternative
ResRobot is a national journey planning service that provides information on trips and trip
combinations for all types of transport throughout Sweden. It has never before been easier
to plan your whole journey – from door to door.
ResRobot offers comprehensive and impartial information for journeys made throughout all parts of the country. Collected in one and the same place are timetables for all
trains, buses, flights, the underground and trams/light-rail services, as well as route
descriptions for journeys by car and maps showing where to make changes and routes to
follow if you are on foot. ResRobot is available on the Internet and now also as a popular
application on smart phones.
Behind ResRobot are some of the most extensive and comprehensive databases of
www.resrobot.se
www.samtrafiken.se
their kind, containing information on 50 000 bus-stops and railway stations, 200 000 train
and bus departures per day, flight schedules from 30 airlines and boat routes.
The company behind ResRobot is Samtrafiken, an organisation that promotes travel by
public transport and facilitates it using multiple carriers and transport modes. Samtrafiken
links train, bus, metro, tram and ferry services from 50 different companies into a single
network.
The Contract Process – from plan to contract
to double travel by public transport
An important part of the Doubling Project is the common sector agreement recommendations that have been summarised in a report entitled “The Contract Process”. The process
is based on developed forms of co-operation and greater professionalism, and utilises the
integrated competence of transport companies, clients and other stakeholders.
The purpose of the Contract Process is to provide proposals for the way in which the
sector, with the help of developed forms of contract, should work towards achieving the
doubling goal. The report is a tool for purchasers, transport companies and local authorities in their common efforts to create contracts that “drive” development in this direction.
The process is aimed at increasing professionalism and entrepreneurship, with less micromanagement and more management by objectives.
The core of the Contract Process is a recommended approach which incorporates an
inherent driving force to acquire more customers in a resource-effective way. This includes
the process which will lead to the most suitable type of contract model in relation to the
goals to be achieved. Some of the guidelines include support in selecting the best contract
model and ways to meet the need for a balance between the political and business sides
of service contracts.
Model contracts are also included, comprising for example service concession
contracts, net model contracts, incentive contracts and gross contracts. These model
contracts contain the basic commercial conditions.
The process creates a solid business framework. The operators will have a better
opportunity to supply services with the anticipated quality level and the process will also
give them the chance to boost business development.
The Contract Process has
been nominated for the UITP
1st PTx2 Award in the category
“Public Transport Advocacy Award”
at the 59th Dubai World Congress
and Exhibition.
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8
Knowledge Lift makes the sector
think in new ways
The extensive change management process initiated by the sector with its investment
in the Doubling Project in combination with major changes in the world around us will
require substantial training efforts and similar activities for decision-makers, leaders and
employees within the sector for many years to come. Inspiration and involvement are
also needed on the part of all employees within the sector. This is why the Knowledge
Lift was started in 2008.
The aim is to increase the insight into and knowledge of why it is necessary to shift
from a production culture to a service culture in order to increase the market share held by
public transport, and what is necessary in order to succeed with this change. The goal is
to increase the insight, involvement and desire among leaders and employees in order to
rapidly take public transport up to the next level.
A number of activities are being conducted within the Knowledge Lift. Among other
things, a little over 2 700 decision-makers, public transport authorities, operators,
municipalities and counties, and other interested parties have so far taken part in a total
of 13 national and regional think tanks. The theme of these think tanks has been how the
doubling goal can be achieved through co-operation and the changes that the new Public
Transport Act entails.
Fifty participants have so far taken part in a special management development
programme which is conducted in co-operation with Stockholm School of Economics
– one of Europe´s leading business schools. The theme is “How can I become better at
managing change processes in seamless co-operation with others?”
The Knowledge Lift also has contact with researchers in order to determine the need
for research and to discuss how research results can be implemented in public transport.
The Knowledge Lift has been nominated
for the UITP 1st PTx2 Award in the category
“Knowledge and Research Award” at
the 59th Dubai World Congress and
Exhibition.
The Public Transport Trade Fair
– A meeting place for public transport
There is a major focus on public transport in Sweden. The sector needs its own forum
and its own meeting place to provide inspiration for new ideas, contacts and business
transactions. Consequently, every second year an event is organised that gathers the entire
Swedish public transport sector in one place – a trade fair with an extensive programme of
seminars. Last year was an all-time high in terms of number of visitors. 6 600 participants
visited 185 exhibitors and as many as 1 300 attended the 150 seminars.
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Best practices
A strategic success factor in our work on the Doubling Project is the continuous presentation of best practices that can serve to inspire and encourage others. Concrete efforts
and new ways of thinking are showing themselves, among other ways, in the continuous
development of best practices. You can read about some of them here.
ex1:
Co-operation can double public transport in Gothenburg
In the Gothenburg region in the western part of Sweden, the K2020 Project is being
conducted in co-operation between a number of stakeholders such as counties, cities and
the public transport authority Västtrafik. Achievement of the overall goal of a sustainable
future requires a strengthened public transport and a major modal shift. To achieve this,
increased and improved public transport was identified as the key factor. The goal is for
at least 40 per cent of all journeys within the region to be made by public transport by the
year 2025, compared with 25 per cent in 2005.
The main principles on which K 2020 is based are to link areas (from a radial to a
network structure), to make journeys faster (PT priority and separate lanes), to develop the
nodes (part of the city development) and to guarantee quality and service.
K2020 is currently a governing instrument in the form of a set of guidelines, which constitute the foundation for all planning and decision-making in the region. The work is being
centered on major urban areas within a one-hour commuting distance from Gothenburg.
www.k2020.se
ex2:
FACTS ABOUT GOTHENBURG
Gothenburg is Sweden’s second largest
city, with over a million inhabitants in the
region. Some of Scandinavia’s largest
industrial concerns, such as Volvo
and SKF, have their origins and their
head offices in Gothenburg. A large
proportion of the country’s imports
and exports pass through Gothenburg
harbour, which is the largest in the
Nordic countries. Gothenburg is also
known for its beautiful archipelago and
for Sweden’s most popular attraction
– Liseberg Funfair.
“Call us and we’ll come”
Sweden is a long country with many sparsely populated areas. Since there are limited
opportunities for people to travel by public transport in these areas, they are often forced
to use their own cars. The public transport authority in the County of Värmland in Western
Sweden solved this problem by means of call-directed transport, or in other words transport
services that passengers order by phone.
A few years ago, the public transport authority reviewed the capacity utilisation on its
bus services and concluded that on many routes there were far fewer than 10 passengers
per trip. In order to be able to retain the routes, a decision was made to change to calldirected services, by which the departures remain on the timetables but at least two hours
before each departure passengers have to order their journeys. Often, it is enough to use
a taxi, which only drives the distance necessary and thereby reduces the travel time for
passengers.
The service has been a successful experiment for everyone involved. People can carry
on living in rural areas because communications continue to function, and taxi companies
have also managed to safeguard their continued existence as a result of increased demand.
A further bonus is that the call-directed services have resulted in extensive savings.
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ex3:
Bike & Ride
Imagine being able to cycle to the nearest railway station and park your bike in a bright,
well-arranged and secure parking area complete with toilet facilities, showers and lockers
for cycle helmets and clothing – and where it is also possible to pump up your tyres and
Foto: Felix Gerlach
wash your bike.
In Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city, all this is now possible – thanks to a major
investment aimed at reducing car traffic and increasing public transport. At the beginning
of December 2010, Malmö’s first Bike and Ride was opened, with space for 1 000 cycles.
The whole idea was conceived together with the construction of the new City Tunnel. With
two new railway stations and better possibilities for commuting, public transport is expected
to enjoy a major upswing in the Skåne region. Furthermore, many passengers are expected
to cycle to and from the stations far more than before.
“Our basic ambition was that it should be a convenient and flexible option to change
between different modes of transport,” says Project Manager Tina Giannopoulou from the
City of Malmö Street and Road Department.
The cycle park is free of charge and manned from early morning to late at night. The
facility has lockable storage lockers, DIY (Do It Yourself) areas for those who need to repair
their bikes, compressed air, toilets, showers and real-time displays that indicate when the
buses and trains are due to leave.
ex4:
THE CITY TUNNEL
The City Tunnel is an important part of
the rapidly expanding Öresund region that
links Sweden with the Continent.
A 17 km-long railway line connects
Malmö Central Station to the Öresund
Bridge and links the Skåne railway network together. The new railway connection
through Malmö, with two completely new
stations, offers thousands of people new
opportunities to change their travel habits.
Park & Ride
The development of the road and parking network cannot keep up with the rapid increase
in population that is taking place in the Stockholm region. Congestion and traffic jams
have become regular features of everyday life for many citizens – something that could be
avoided if only motorists were to park their cars at commuter train or bus stations outside
the city and travel the last part of their journeys on public transport. The “Park & Ride” test
project was conducted to give motorists the chance to test the new solution – and more
than half of them decided to continue travelling by public transport.
Just over a year ago, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), the Swedish Transport Administration, the City Council and a number of other stakeholders tested an entirely new concept
for out-of-town parking. At a large shopping centre in Nacka on the outskirts of Stockholm,
which is also a strategic transport interchange point, guaranteed parking places were
provided for those motorists who continued their journey by SL (the equivalent of Stockholm
Transport). The mobile telephone was the instrument used to link access to parking facilities
with SL tickets. The 160 selected “test pilots” could book a parking slot in advance with the
help of their phones and at the same time also receive up-to-date traffic information and
a selection of offers from the shops within the area.
The project evaluation showed that half the test drivers continued to travel to work or
school by public transport instead of travelling the whole distance by car. Nine out of ten
wanted the solution to be retained in the shopping centre area and 96 per cent wanted it to
be introduced in other out-of-town parking areas at strategically important interchange points
around Stockholm. The scheme served to show that the Park & Ride concept can influence
travel habits among motorists and encourage more of them to use public transport.
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ex5:
50 000 car owners interested in trying public transport
The most important goal of the public transport authority Västtrafik is to increase the
amount of travel on public transport. Therefore they conducted a large-scale commuter
experiment in which confirmed motorists were given the chance to try using public transport.
Previous experience has shown that this method is effective in attracting new customers.
Over 50 000 motorists wanted to be involved in the major recruitment campaign,
28 000 of whom fulfilled the requirements and were allowed to travel without restriction
on public transport for a period of two weeks.
The information was spread in newspapers, on advertising hoardings and on websites
together with flyers to 150 000 households that own at least one car. In order to be test
passengers, it was necessary that participants travelled by car at least twice a week.
Once car owners have tried using public transport many of them discover that it is in fact
a good travel alternative.
The results of the campaign have not yet been evaluated but based on Västtrafik’s
previous experience of similar campaigns directed at motorists, this kind of activity could
lead to a 20 per cent increase in customers. This would be equivalent to an influx of 5 500
new passengers.
ex6:
Luxury express bus service attracts public transport passengers
The small town of Trosa is situated idyllically on the shores of the Baltic Sea. It is an
expanding municipality with many residents who commute to work in the Swedish capital
Stockholm. During the summer there are many people who commute in the opposite
direction. Most of them travel by car, but a luxury express bus service is now attracting
a growing number of passengers.
Not long ago, the county public transport authority in Sörmland and the Municipality
of Trosa decided to invest in an express bus line as an alternative to the car. A so-called
service concession agreement was entered into with a bus company which, since last
year, has operated fast scheduled bus transport with frequent daily services. A service
concession agreement means that the transport company takes by far the greatest risk but
at the same time also has the chance for major financial returns. Quite simply, the more
passengers who use the service, the greater the opportunity for financial reward. The
transport company is responsible for the service and the bus fleet, and takes the greatest
responsibility for marketing.
The marketing is focused mainly on the feeling of luxury associated with travelling
on Trosabussen (Trosa Buses). During the hour in which it takes to reach Stockholm,
passengers can sit comfortably and relax, or work on their computers. The idea appears
to be working. Within a short period of time, Trosabussen has reached a user level as high
as 40 passengers per departure – a successful investment in the efforts being made to
achieve a doubling of public transport.
15
The organisations within
the Swedish Doubling Project
SWEDISH PUBLIC TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION
The Swedish Public Transport Association is the country’s trade organisation for the
public transport authorities who are responsible for local and regional public transport
by bus, train, tram, underground and boat in Sweden. There are also associated members
who are suppliers and consultants to the sector. www.svenskkollektivtrafik.se
SWEDISH BUS AND COACH FEDERATION
The Swedish Bus and Coach Federation, BR, is the trade organisation for bus transport
companies and coach travel arrangers who run commercial operations in Sweden. BR
represents the interests of its member companies with respect to politicians, authorities
and other organisations. BR’s 400 member companies operate all forms of bus traffic and
arrange journeys within and outside the country’s borders. With over 20 000 employees
and 11 000 buses, BR form the backbone of the Swedish passenger transport system.
www.bussbranschen.se
SWEDISH TAXI ASSOCIATION
The Swedish Taxi Association is the trade organisation for the country’s taxi operators.
Over two thirds of Sweden’s taxi companies are members of the association, which
has approximately 220 taxi order centres in the country among its members.The
Swedish Taxi Association shall in co-operation with its members and other players
constantly improve the preconditions for the sector and strengthen the professional
role of its members with the aid of cutting-edge knowledge, competence and quality.
ASSOCIATION OF SWEDISH TRAIN OPERATING COMPANIES
The Association of Swedish Train Operating Companies represents the active train operators in Sweden, and shall meet their needs for a strong trade organisation to actively
drive questions that are of common interest in the field of commercial rail transport
with respect to the government and parliament, authorities, clients, the media and
other interested parties, both national and international. www.tagoperatorerna.se
SWEDISH ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND REGIONS IN SWEDEN
Local authorities and counties have a joint responsibility within each county for local and
regional public transport. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions is
an organisation that represents the interests of all Sweden’s local authorities, counties
and regions. www.skl.se
SWEDISH TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION
The Swedish Transport Administration is responsible for the long-term planning of the
transport system for road, rail, maritime and air traffic. The Swedish Transport Administration is also responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of public
roads and railways. www.trafikverket.se
Brandreality 2011
If you would like to find out more about
the Swedish Doubling Project, please visit
our website at www.doublingproject.se