Around 40,000 employees within the City of Stockholm are banned from flying from Stockholm to Gothenburg or Malmö.
Instead, train travel will be prioritised, writes the Environment and Climate Councillor Åsa Lindhagen (Green Party) in a Debate article I Aftonbladet.
The decision comes at the same time as the government has chosen to proceed with proposals for a halved aviation tax, Åsa Lindhagen highlights, and the decision is intended not only to reduce emissions but also to ”contribute to changing people's norms”. The new travel policy will therefore cover 40,000 employees, making Stockholm City one of Sweden's largest employers.
”Digital meeting formats should be chosen as a first choice when participants are not in the same location. In cases where travel is still necessary, train and public transport should always be the first choice within Sweden and Europe. Furthermore, business flights to Malmö and Gothenburg are prohibited. The train will be prioritised instead,” she writes.
Certain exceptions can be made, but then the highest manager in the administration needs to give their approval. Stockholm City will also set an internal price for the flight that is 50 percent above the actual price, they write. The surplus money will then be put into a pot that will be used to plant trees in Stockholm.
Source: TT-DI.SE
