Lars Backström has been CEO since 1 January 2009. When we meet in late May he describes an operation that consists of many different aspects. Urban transport, rural transport, regular services, on-call services, etc. All the activities have common components but there is also a lot that is different between them. Lars is looking forward to an exciting time for Västtrafik where assignments and conditions are changing. If we start with the conditions, there is a new law due on public transport resulting in more competition on the implementation side by means of it being opened up for more participants. Partnerships between public transport operators have been formed, and this is setting common objectives for what public transport should achieve. The goal is ambitious - a doubling of the number of public transport passengers by 2020. In addition, the will be a congestion charge in Gothenburg and an increasing focus on environmental issues and urban traffic situations. These are all factors in favor of increased public transport. There are two ways to achieve increased use of public transport - to hold back private car use to the extent that people are forced onto public transport, or to make public transport so attractive that it takes over on its own merits.

Naturally it is the latter approach that Västtrafik is focusing on. A focus on technology shall be turned into a focus on the user. The threshold for using public transport shall be reduced. A basic task will be to listen to the people in the region - what they want to have, so that Västtrafik can prioritize in the right way. Västtrafik is working towards a system where different carriers can “plug in" to the traffic system and in this way be perceived as part of a whole. Increased competition and more participants will drive development forward, but not complicate the picture for the users. Availability, quality, ease-of-use, reliability and treating users as individual people is the way forward.

Lars says that the new system of account charging went well until it came to Gothenburg. The high deposit and the “100 card" being widely missed caused users to react. Västtrafik accepted their responsibility and adapted the system, but it certainly was difficult and with hindsight it is clear that the transition should have been better prepared in Gothenburg. But the new payment system is a linchpin in the public transport of the future, and it will allow many different payment options. To succeed the system must be perceived as being much simpler and understandable for travelers.

Environmental issues are important to Västtrafik. Currently 60% of journeys are made using renewable fuels and the figure should be 90% by 2020. Västtrafik also has specific targets for the reduction of nitrogen oxides and particulates. Västtrafik´s market share in Gothenburg is 24%, and 17% in the county - figures that should double up to 2025.Västtrafik owns the trains but procures all services. Standards are set for how services should be performed and the requirements that should apply. Västtrafik cooperates with Stockholm and Malmö on the development of public transport, and here there is much experience to share. The cooperation with the automotive industry is primarily driven by the carriers that own and operate the vehicles, but here there is great ambition to try new technology. Alternative fuels, hybrid, convenience, security are all important areas as well as effective information systems that indicate where the vehicles are and when they should arrive.

One problem which is quite Swedish is that public transport is so fragmented. In the morning for work and school journeys, at midday for pensioners and kindergarten children on a trip, then commuting back home; and in the evening outward and return trips to entertainment venues. Lars believes that this means that we do not all perceive public transport as our own throughout the day, but that it is owned by different groups at different times. Perhaps it is a contributing factor that we are not as supportive of our public transport in the same way as in other countries where it consists of a broader mix of travelers around the clock.

Regeneration and development should be implemented in all areas that create an efficient public transport system. Västtrafik is also aiming for a greater closeness to the people that should give the feeling that this is “our service" that we are using, looking after and making demands of, concludes Lars Backström, CEO of Västtrafik.