– In the evening there will be a meeting place on the bus. Young people use the bus as a warming room, says Steinar Mikarlsen. The bus driver has been transporting passengers around Moss for the past 26 years. He believes the profession itself has not changed much, but there is one thing he notices well. – The roads have always been the same length, but now there is much more traffic, says Mikarlsen, who is also a safety representative at the workplace. The experienced bus driver Steinar Mikarlsen says that there is a lot of traffic in several places in Moss, not just on Jeløya. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news The city is characterized by a lot of traffic. The heavy vehicle traffic that comes with Norway’s busiest ferry connection, across the Oslofjord between Moss and Horten, creates queues. It particularly affects the inhabitants of Jeløya. For several years, politicians have discussed how to improve the flow of traffic over the canal bridge, which connects the island with the rest of the city. The bus drivers are constantly setting new records for journeys across the bridge, which they would rather not break. – The worst time I have stood in a queue to get down from Jeløya was when I spent 95 minutes driving 200 metres, says bus driver Ole Ivar Gammeltorp. The canal bridge is the only road from Jeløya to the center of Moss. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news It is this traffic that the politicians in Viken County Municipality want to do something about when they re-introduce free buses on the route. But it is not the motorists who get on the bus when it is free, say the drivers. – Instead of standing outside to hang out, young people get on the bus and are transported back and forth, says Mikarlsen. Don’t think it works Many of the drivers are unionized in the railway union. Trade union representative Mona Andersen says that the free bus has not worked at all to reduce traffic. Mona Andersen is a shop steward in the Railway Association. She believes that the free bus is a failed policy. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news – Now they are wasting millions on giving away free buses, instead of improving the accessibility of the buses. Because that is the problem. The buses remain in the same queue as all the motorists who have to cross the bridge every day. Earlier this year, the county tested a free bus on the same route for three months. The experience of the bus drivers was that the offer did not work as intended. The drivers receive support from the Professional Transport Association, which says that many choose the car even though the buses are free. – Price alone is not enough for people to opt out of the car, says communications director Adrian Pracon at Yrkestrafikkforbundet. Adrian Pracon from the Norwegian Occupational Traffic Association says that there are challenges with the road network in the whole of Østfold. Photo: Yrkestrafikkforbundet The association believes that the offer, on the contrary, works against its purpose. – Many of those who usually walk or cycle chose to take the bus at the few bus stops they were going to, says Pracon. Hope more people will take the bus. It is not only in Moss that the free bus receives criticism. This summer there was a big debate when the city council in Stavanger introduced a free bus for everyone. There, too, the bus company stated that they could not see any effect of the measure. Now the scheme will probably be scrapped. From 1 November, the bus will be free in parts of Moss. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news In Moss, the offer will be reintroduced on 1 November. – We hope that by continuing we may be able to recruit even more people to ride public transport, says Olav Skinnes (Sp). He is the county councilor for transport in Viken. When the free bus was introduced, the number of travelers doubled for several weeks compared to the same time last year, figures from Østfold public transport showed. It is not as positive as it may sound, the industry believes. Ole Ivar Gammeltorp wants more motorists to choose the bus, but understands that many do not. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news – We who drive every single day see a completely different picture than the figures show, says Gammeltorp. Costs millions Skinnes in the county council says that he hopes more people will use the offer. – I would very much like more people to use it, and not just children and young people of course. The free bus offer will cost several millions, and will only last for the next three months. – There are a few million, so we are extending a hand to Moss’s population and we really hope that they accept and make use of the offer, says Skinnes. Mona Andersen enjoys driving the bus. She is disappointed that the politicians have not listened to the drivers’ concerns about free buses. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news The drivers think it’s a disc boom. It is the public transport lanes that the county council should prioritize. – They really missed this one. They haven’t listened to us bus drivers, says Andersen. The passengers news meets take the bus almost every day. They also say that there were many young people and not motorists who used the free bus last term: Nina Anthi takes the bus every day. She thinks it’s nice to have a free bus, but says that young people use the offer for all it’s worth. – There will be a school bus with many young people. It hasn’t helped anything in the queue, she says. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Ivona Vuckov and her son Luka take the bus to the kindergarten every day. Ivona is very happy that the buses will be free again. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Inger-Lise Hagmann often takes the bus on Jeløy. She has to calculate plenty of time to achieve what she has to. The bus is often delayed because of the traffic, as it was also when the bus was free, she says. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Major challenge Pracon in the Swedish Trade Union Confederation believes it is important that more people opt out of the car, but making the bus free is not the solution. – Especially in Moss, but in the whole of Østfold there are big challenges for the bus. The road network is too poor and the buses end up in the same queue as the cars. That is why many people choose the car instead of the bus, regardless of whether it is free or not. Skinnes in the county council says it takes a long time to develop the road network. – I hope that enough people will take the bus and then we will eliminate some of the queuing problem. That is not the case, according to the drivers. – Had the motorists seen that the bus actually got there before the queue, they would have chosen the bus over the car, says Gammeltorp.
ttn-69
Costs millions – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
