A Scandinavian Public Transport Model? Reform Changes in Denmark, Sweden and Norway

Scandinavian public transport, especially aspects of how the Scandinavian countries (i.e., Sweden, Denmark, and Norway) have created governing structures for a cohesive public transport system, is often cited positively in international research. Scandinavia is often treated as a homogeneous unit in public transport research, which sometimes refers to the “Scandinavian model of public transport”. It is not uncommon for conclusions regarding Scandinavian countries to be based on analyses of just one country. Is there actually such a thing as a Scandinavian model of public transport? All around Europe the public transport sector is changing, taking public transport governance in various directions. This paper provides an overview of the changes and similarities in public transport governance in Scandinavian countries from the 1970s to 2012, discussing whether it is justifiable to speak of a Scandinavian model of public transport. The findings are based on public documents, reform evaluations, and statistics. This is the first paper focusing on Scandinavian public transport systems and their governing models per se, taking into account the considerable reforms of the 2000s. The results provide an important basis for benchmarking and comparative studies of countries outside Scandinavia.