Environment and sustainability

We work with sustainable social development

The Traffic and society administration within Region Uppsala has two basic tasks. One is to be a regional public transport authority and the other is to be a county planner.

Traffic under the UL brand

As a regional public transport authority, we are the authority responsible for public transport in Uppsala County, and under the UL brand we provide public transport in collaboration with various carriers. Being a county planner means that the administration, on behalf of the state, writes a plan for investments in the regional transport infrastructure.

Both of these missions are important tools in the work for sustainable regional development. Both the infrastructure and public transport are developed in collaboration with the municipalities in Uppsala County and the Swedish Transport Administration.

The whole journey perspective

We work with an entire journey perspective. This means everything from prioritizing infrastructure investments on the county's main roads to commuter parking, good planning of public transport stops and stations and that there are pedestrian and cycle routes to these places.

The environmental impact of public transport

As a regional public transport authority, we have a responsibility. The fact that we exist and that many people use our traffic contributes to making the environment feel better. We are proud of that.

We want to do everything we can to ensure that as many people as possible travel with us and that we then make a positive contribution to the environmental and climate impact that exists today, with emissions, noise and congestion. But the emissions from buses also mean an environmental burden. We have to take responsibility for that and do our best to change it.

We run fossil-free

Public transport in Uppsala County uses fossil-free fuels. And our endeavor is that as much as possible of our fuels should be locally produced. It increases transparency in which raw materials are used to manufacture the fuel, and it reduces transport and provides a security of supply that reduces dependence on the outside world.

For a long time, we have worked for a flexible mix of different types of fossil-free fuels. The locally produced biogas is important. It is made from renewable raw materials and produced from waste locally.

The electric buses are rolling out

Another direction is an increasingly electrified city bus service. The electric buses in Uppsala are charged at night at the new city bus depot and as the region's power supply is expanded, new electric buses are also rolling out onto our streets. The electric buses are completely emission-free and also significantly quieter.

Biodiesel is an important step on the way

The third leg on which we rest our freedom from fossil fuels is biodiesel. Biodiesel is similar to fossil diesel oil but is produced from vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel has been an important part of the phasing out of fossil fuels and will continue to be so for some time to come.

The future then?

However, the ambition is to reduce the use of biodiesel as much as possible in favor of biogas and electricity. We look ahead and follow technological developments all the time. For example, could hydrogen be something for us?