12 February, 2026

Västerbotten is going against the trend

Västerbotten stands out in this year's Public Transport Barometer. Residents feel safest in the country and travel by public transport to a greater extent. The market share of Ultra, Umeå's local transport is increasing, and for Västerbotten it is at the same level.

We have many positive figures to tell you about from the Public Transport Barometer's annual report 2025. In addition to the already mentioned, Västerbotten is also the county in Sweden where customers see their public transport as an important contribution to a better environment. The county's residents are at the top among those who think that the opportunities to travel by public transport have improved over the past year. 

Number one in Sweden

The Public Transport Barometer also measures how safe passengers feel when travelling. It turns out that the majority of Västerbotten residents feel safe, so safe that we place in first place in Sweden with a safety experience of 73%. Among customers, those who travel by public transport at least 1 time per month, the county is at 80%. 

Travel frequency is increasing

In Västerbotten, the proportion of residents who travel by public transport at least once a month has increased from 30% to 32%. This means that we have more passengers who now end up in the category of public transport passengers and customers. In 2025, 20% traveled at least one day per week by public transport and 78% of the county's residents have traveled at some point by public transport. 

The market share increases at Ultra and is unchanged for Västerbotten

In contrast to the downward national trend, Västerbotten's market share will remain unchanged in 2025, at 15%. It has had a positive trend line since 2021. In Ultra, Umeå's local transport, the market share increased to a new record from 27% to 29%. Public transport's market share is measured as the part of the journeys made by motorised vehicles and Västerbotten. 

The Public Transport Barometer is a large annual market survey that shows what both passengers and the general public think about public transport in Sweden. It is the industry organization Swedish Public Transport that is behind the Public Transport Barometer and has recently published the annual report for 2024. Västerbotten's measurement includes both regional traffic (Länstrafiken i Västerbotten) and local traffic in Umeå (Ultra).