Only the tram and subway in Oslo can have an additional electricity bill of NOK 178 million. In the country as a whole, public transport could be in the red by NOK 1.9 billion in 2023. This is what the players in the industry write in a letter to the government. This is because the public transport companies themselves believe that the price increase for buses, subways, trams, fast boats and ferries could be as much as 9.6 per cent. Asking the government to close the gap The demand is for the government to cover the gap when the revised national budget is presented on Thursday. – If not, it will either force the county councils to cut spending on schools, county roads and other statutory tasks or lead to cuts in public transport, it says. The letter is signed by the Collective Transport Association, NHO Transport, NHO Maritime, Spekter, the Trade Unions’ Association, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, the Norwegian Railways Association and the Occupational Traffic Association. The counties are responsible for public transport. In the capital there is Oslo municipality. Electric shock for the subway In Oslo, Sporveien is prone to electric shock. According to the calculations, the extra electricity bill for trams and the subway could amount to NOK 178 million. WANTS POWER SUPPORT: Environment and Transport Council Sirin Stav (MDG). Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB In addition, more expensive fuel and electricity are needed to charge electric buses. – It is a huge paradox that the state provides power support for private individuals to charge their electric car, but not for charging electric buses or driving trams and the subway. That’s what the Environment and Transport Council in Oslo, Sirin Stav (MDG), says. She expects the government to correct this. Wolf wolf? Both Oslo, Viken and others have threatened to cut routes before. They shouted warnings when the government closed the money tap after the pandemic. And they sounded the alarm when electricity prices really skyrocketed. But so far there have been no major cuts. Are you crying “wolf wolf” now too? Sirin Stav says that the city council has injected hundreds of millions extra to get public transport intact through the pandemic and power crisis. And she will turn over all stones to do it again. – But this is money we would rather spend on other things, for example cutting ticket prices or strengthening the offer, she says. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum announced in February that he would spend billions extra to compensate for price increases. But with almost a 10 per cent price increase in the industry, the fear is that Vedum will not come up with enough. – Frames city and village REPRESENTING THE INDUSTRY: Managing Director Olov Grøtting in the Collective Transport Association. Photo: Kollektivtrafikkforeningen The industry organization believes that this is a very special situation that the government has to take into account. – We fear that failure to cover the extraordinary price increase could lead to cuts in public transport, says Olov Grøtting, general manager of the Public Transport Association. They organize public transport companies both locally, regionally and nationally. – Public transport is crucial for people to get to work and to leisure activities across the country, says Grøtting. Cuts will affect both cities and rural areas, says the letter to the government. The fear is, however, that the districts will be affected first. The reason is that it is here that buses and ferries are most dependent on public support.
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Announced cut in public transport after price shock for fuel and electricity – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
