The county municipality does not agree with Drammen municipality’s claim that the reward agreement with the states is broken.
THE DRAMA: The massive cuts that have been adopted in public transport in Buskerud are to a large extent applied to the bus lines in Drammen, which the municipality will not readily accept.
In a letter last week addressed to the county council, Drammen mayor Kjell Arne Hermansen advocated that the cuts could not be implemented without breaking the conditions for the reward agreement with the state, which is managed by Buskerud county council.
This week he received a reply from county mayor Tore Opdal Hansen. He claims that the county council’s cuts do not constitute a breach of the reward agreement, and refers to the following argument:
- The reduction in the offer is 7 per cent in Buskerudbyen, 93 per cent of the offer will be continued
- The subsidy from the county council for public transport is higher in 2024 than in 2022
- The state has not compensated for the gap between the municipal deflator and the price increase in public transport, and it cannot be expected that the county council will cover this by reducing other county services
- Buskerudbyen has not deflationally adjusted the reward funds for public transport since 2019, and this accounts for 27 per cent of the reduction.
Opdal Hansen emphasizes that “the county municipality shares Drammen municipality’s concerns about the cuts in the bus service, and that we will consider renewed investment as soon as the economic situation permits”.
– It is deeply regrettable that these cuts have to be carried out, when we should instead invest in further development and improvement of the current public transport services for the county’s residents. As county mayor, I am concerned that we have a good service offer for all our residents, and I am the first to regret that we are now in a situation where we are instead making everyday life more difficult for many in Buskerud. Unfortunately, the financial situation in the new Buskerud County Municipality is so demanding that there is no alternative in the short term. Major cuts must be made within a number of our services to ensure a sound and sustainable budget for the county, writes Opdal Hansen in the letter.
