Facts and results from the Stockholm Trials

12.2 Tradespeople and driving
schools
The aim of this study is to study the effects of the Stockholm Trial on
tradespeople and driving schools. The hypothesis is that the congestion
tax has both negative and positive effects on tradespeople and driving
schools. Reduced traffic as a result of the tax is positive, because this entails
shorter travel times for tradespeople and driving schools, but the tax
also involves higher costs for these companies. Whether the net effect is
negative or positive depends on a number of different factors, such as
how much travel time the companies earn, how the companies value their
time, whether they can influence when during the day they travel, and
whether they can charge their end customers for this higher expense.
The survey is a case study of a number of tradespeople and driving schools.
The same companies’ operations were measured both before and during
the trial period. The survey also includes interviews with representatives
of professional organisations for tradespeople and for driving schools.
The conclusion is that the Stockholm Trial has not led to any major
changes for tradespeople. The companies state that there is less traffic and
they have shorter travel times. Furthermore, half of the companies charge
their customers for the congestion tax. The attitude to the congestion tax
is still negative, but to a lesser extent than before the trial.
Driving schools’ proportion of clean vehicles has increased considerably
between the two occasions when monitoring was conducted. The proportion
of clean vehicles at driving schools has risen from 6% in 2004 to
50% in 2006. The driving schools have not changed their operations in
other respects.
Tradespeople
On average, tradespeople have paid SEK 25 in congestion tax per day and
vehicle during the week monitored in 2006. There is a great deal of variation
between the companies. Two of the 12 companies interviewed pay
the maximum tax of SEK 60 per day for all their vehicles, on all days of
the week monitored, and a relatively large number of the companies pay
the maximum tax for some of their vehicles on some days per week. Two
companies state that they have never paid the maximum tax. The companies
located in the inner city paid an average of SEK 34/vehicle and day
in congestion tax during the week monitored, while tradespeople located
outside the inner city paid SEK 20/vehicle and day. More than half the
companies charge customers for the congestion tax, and about one in five
tradespeople debit an extra administration fee for the tax.
Tradespeople notice that traffic in the inner city has decreased. On the
major routes, such as the Essingeleden bypass, they perceive that traffic is
unchanged. Many point out in the interviews that it is easier to find a parking
space in the inner city. Others claim the opposite; that it is more difficult
in daytime, because fewer inner-city residents use their car to get to
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