Sustainable business models in focus at Persontrafik
The planning of Perontrafik is in full swing and parts of the program are already nailed down. A key issue that will be in focus is how the industry can better collaborate and achieve sustainable business models.
It is important that the industry emphasizes the importance of cooperation, and Passenger Transport is an excellent opportunity to do so,” says Mikael Olsson, chairman of the Public Transport Agreement Committee, KollA.
Through KollA, the industry has developed recommendations and model contracts for public transport procurement. Nevertheless, transport operators and regional public transport authorities are far apart in terms of responsibilities, risks and compensation parameters.
Therefore, Partnersamverkan för en förbättrad kollektivtrafik has developed a guide that will be the starting point for several lectures and debates at Persontrafik. The purpose of the guide is to show how the industry together can meet current and future challenges with sustainable agreements that can evolve over time.
Achieving the goal of four out of ten motorized journeys being public by 2030 will require flexible compensation parameters and risk and responsibility sharing that provide stability and efficiency. We live in a changing world that public transport must adapt to through flexible contracts, says Mikael Olsson.
The guide applies to all modes of transport and addresses several of the challenges facing the industry. The recession has led to increased competition and sometimes unsustainable tender prices, regional public transport authorities are struggling with inflation and high interest rates, while the electrification of buses involves major investments and increased demands for social sustainability. On top of all this, an unstable external environment is driving up prices and creating economic uncertainty.
To meet the challenges, agreements are needed that can be adapted to new needs, innovations and unforeseen events. These are things that we will discuss at Persontrafik and hopefully it can be the start of a better collaboration culture in the industry, says Mikael Olsson.
Text: Paula Isaksson
Mikael Olsson, ordförande för Kollektivtrafikens avtalskommitté, KollA.
