Julie Trulsvik Rasmussen (30) is a full-time student in Bodø, and follows most of the requirements to get a student discount on public transport. The only thing stopping her is age. – I think that is very unfair, because it is not the case that I have better finances just because I have turned 30 years old. If she had lived in Vestfold and Telemark, Agder, Rogaland and Trøndelag, she could still travel with a student discount on the period ticket. – It is strange that the practice is so different depending on where you live. After all, it should be equal and there should be an opportunity to study throughout Norway, she says. – It seems more attractive to study in the places that have a higher age limit. Since Julie does not get a student discount, she must use the adult ticket, which is NOK 340 more expensive. – Being a student in Norway is expensive and the prices are increasing all the time. Why should you be treated differently just because you have turned 30? I can’t understand that. Julie Trulsvik Rasmussen thinks there is discrimination against students. If she continues her education, it is more appropriate for her to do so in a place that has a good bus service and student-friendly prices, she says. Photo: Henning Winnem Sørelv / news In 2022, nearly 30 per cent of students in Norway were older than 30, figures from Statistics Norway show. In addition, Norway is known for having among the oldest students in Europe. Thought it was unreasonable The minimum requirement from the state is that the counties must give a 40 per cent discount on period tickets for students under 30 years of age. One of the counties that has chosen to go higher than this is Vestfold and Telemark. There, full-time students, regardless of age, can travel with a period ticket at the student price. The county has had this arrangement for 15 years. – We received a number of inquiries from students over the age of 30, who thought it was unreasonable that they were not given the same opportunity as students under 30, says Trond Myhre, section leader in collective and mobility in Vestfold and Telemark. – But don’t you go into the red when you offer this? – We haven’t calculated it thoroughly, and we don’t have very many students in the county. In addition, we believe that some of these would have chosen other means of transport, if they had not received this offer Trond Myhre in Vestfold and Telemark says that if they had had the same number of students as in larger cities, the situation would probably be different. Photo: Hege Therese Holtung / news Students are students There are currently just over 2,200 full-time students aged 30 and over at university/college level in Vestfold and Telemark. – But if this had been among the four largest cities where there are more students, then the cost would probably have been significantly higher, says the section leader. Troms and Finnmark, and Innlandet have their own ticket products called Ung-voksen, where everyone in the age group 20 to 29 gets a discount on period tickets. The Norwegian Student Organization believes that all students, regardless of age, should receive the same discount. – We are concerned that everyone should be able to travel green and be able to form good travel habits. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you’re a student you’re a student, says manager Maika Marie Godal Dam. – It’s about getting financial support that gives the students more to work with. Even if those over 30 receive more support from the Lånekassen, they have if not much left over. Want to remove the differences The organization believes that the counties should be responsible for giving students at least half price on student tickets. And recently they decided that they want a national monthly card for students. – This means that students can travel between the counties without having to pay for the shirt, says the manager. The head of the Norwegian student organization believes that all students, regardless of age, should get student tickets. Photo: William Jobling / news Spokesperson Margit Martinsen in Grønn Ungdom says, like the student organisation, that all students should get a student discount. The Youth Party also wants a national monthly ticket, but adds that they want to get rid of the different age criteria on the tickets in the country. – I think that is everything that is wrong with the public transport system in Norway. It becomes so much more complicated than it really needed to be, and creates more bureaucracy. She adds that schemes such as student discounts, age limits and fine levels should be the same in the country. – You should not risk a hefty fine if you assume that a student ticket has the same age limit in the neighboring county as in your own. Martinsen believes society could save large amounts of bureaucracy and make it easier to take public transport if a national monthly card was introduced. – Then everyone knows which rules apply, you don’t need a thousand different travel apps, and that makes it easier to travel across counties. – It will particularly help students and commuters. Margit Martinsen in Grønn Ungdom believes that a national monthly card with national ticket categories should be introduced, in order to get rid of the regional differences. Photo: Mari Reisjå / news Must see that Nordland, like six other counties in Norway, has the upper age limit until one turns 30, which is the minimum requirement from the state. Trulsvik believes that Nordland county should raise the age limit on the student ticket – The county wants more young people to settle down here and they need more people to move to Nordland, says the student. Monika Sande is county councilor for transport and infrastructure in Nordland county municipality. She says that she has no good answer as to why the county council has adhered to the minimum requirement, but that she understands that students over 30 think it is expensive. – Raising the age limit is something we have to look at in connection with the economy and budget, and maybe we will get it done, says Sande. County councilor Monika Sande says that the county council will look at the proposal. Photo: Nordland county municipality *Rasmussen has previously worked for news, but did not do so while we were working on the case and not as of today’s date. The Ministry of Transport answers this – What we are wondering is what do you think about the fact that there are such different differences from county to county when it comes to the upper age limit? Answer: When it comes to travel in their own county, it is the county councils that are best acquainted with the local and regional needs, and then it is also natural that they can influence their own income through the rates, or prioritize certain rates through the county council. This is an important part of local democracy, which this government is keen to develop. At the same time, as a consequence of this, there may be differences from county to county when it comes to age limits and discount schemes. – Figures from Statistics Norway show that in 2022 almost a third of students in Norway were 30 years and over, could it not then have been relevant to increase the age limit, and make it so that all students get a student discount? Answer: The conditions that apply to the state’s funding are intended to constitute minimum conditions for the schemes, and have been applicable since the implementation of the scheme in 2002/2003. The county municipalities and train companies are free to have better arrangements than this, based on local needs and priorities. – Someone we have spoken to believes that there should be national age limits/criteria on the ticket categories on public transport in Norway. This is because they believe that it will be very complicated for people traveling to other counties. What do you think about it? – We have heard that someone suggests that a national monthly card should be introduced for the students in the country, to make it easier and cheaper to travel, have you given any thought to that? Answer to the last two questions: As said, this type of difference is a natural consequence of the division of responsibilities and organization of the public transport sector in Norway, where the county councils are the charging authority for local public transport. It is also important to remember that the vast majority of public transport journeys take place in their own county, and the majority of cross-county travelers take place between Viken and Oslo – within Ruter’s area of responsibility. Students also mostly travel by public transport in their own county, and have good discount schemes today. We have also commissioned the Norwegian Railways Directorate to investigate the possibility of developing ticket products to stimulate increased use of public transport outside of our own county among young people.
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Different age limits on student tickets in the counties – news Nordland
