Page 30 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

Category KPI Result Performance to SDG
Benchmark
Shared Vehicles
(per 100 000 0.00
inhabitants)
Low-Carbon Emission
Passenger Vehicles 3.91 %

Ålesund has indicated that an important milestone of the region’s municipal cooperation is the
development of a regional environment, land-use and mode of transport plan. This is necessary in a
region where the vast majority of travelers regularly use their private vehicles, and where the use of
public transport reported as the main mode of travel at a distant 6 per cent.

To this end, Ålesund has recently approved a strategy for public transport that details specific strategies
and measures to increase the use of public transport in an environmentally friendly fashion. As an
example, the counties of Møre and Romsdal have implemented procurement policies to push for more
environmentally friendly buses. Ålesund is a key partner in the partnership for medium-sized cities in
Norway that are working together to make the participating cities viable for urban environment deals
with the Norwegian Government, in order to attract additional funding for environmentally friendly
modes of transport and infrastructure.

Optimizing transport: The region would also benefit from more frequent, round-the-clock bus services
later in the evenings every day after 5.00 pm on Saturdays and all day on Sundays. This would be
important in easing and facilitating residents’ and visitors’ mobility, since the main alternative to buses,
i.e. taxis, are very expensive in Norway.

Another recommendation is to allow for, and incentivize, vehicle-sharing services and carpool
programmes as transit alternatives. Such services or programmes offer commuters competitive and
transparent rates, along with the ease of ordering their rides through their mobile phones. This could
have an impact on the way that people get around within and outside the region, leading to it becoming
more connected. It would make it easier for travelers, especially tourists, to access areas that are more
difficult to get to or are not usually serviced by the public transportation or taxicab options.

Finally, it is recommended that Ålesund incentivize the use of electric vehicles (EV). The region has
reported that the 3.91 per cent figure only includes cars, and no other comparable electric vehicles
such as vans.

Norway is already the world’s largest market for electric vehicles (EV) in comparison to the total number
of vehicles sold. In 2018, EVs had a share of the new car market of approximately 30 per cent, with
plug-in hybrids (PHEV) holding a 19 per cent market share. There is further movement to stop the
sale of new conventional, i.e. gasoline- or diesel-powered cars in the country altogether by 2025. This
means that by 2030, the country is projected to have 1.5 million private electric vehicles.
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24 U4SSC Factsheet | Ålesund, Norway | June 2020