In Sweden, public transport works beautifully. SL, a government institution, runs most public transport in Stockholm, which includes buses, trains, trams, metro, and some boats.
Prices: It costs 39 SEK for a single ticket which lasts for 75 minutes. You can get a group discount if more than two people are traveling. A 24-hour ticket costs 165 SEK, 72-hour ticket priced at 330 SEK and a 7-day one costs 430 SEK. However, if you are going to use public transport extensively, you should get the 30-day one that costs 970 SEK and allows unlimited travel on all public transport across Stockholm. Every time you use a public transport, you need to tap the ticket check machine at the entrance of stations, or inside the bus. You can buy a ticket on the SL app or get a physical card for 20 SEK. App is more versatile to use. You can also tap your debit/credit card on the same machine to directly deduct money for one single ticket.
Metro or Tunnelbana: In Stockholm, there are blue, red, and green lines with over 100 metro stations. Another line – yellow – is currently under construction. Several metro stations have connecting links to jump from one metro line to another, or to a train, tram, or bus. T-Centralen station is the center point of all metro services and all metro routes pass through that area. Metro stations here are uniquely crafted as a work of art. Pets are allowed in some compartments, but not all.
Trams or Spårväg: Trams fill in the areas not connected with trains or metros. There are five different routes: Spårväg City (11 stops) from T-Centralen to Waldemarsudde/Bellmansro. Djurgårdslinjen (10 stops) from Norrmalmstorg to Waldemarsudde/Bellmansro. Nockebybanan (10 stops) from Nockeby to Alvik. Lidingöbanan (14 stops) from Ropsten to Gåshaga brygga. Tvärbanan (25 stops) from Solna station to Sickla. The Spårväg City tram line passes through central Stockholm and can be a good sightseeing trip with museums along the way.
Trains or Pendaltag: These are just like the local trains in India and connect the city with the suburbs. All trains pass through T- Centralen. All northbound trains also stop at Odenplan, and all southbound trains stop at Stockholms Sodra, Arstaberg, and Alvjsö. All train stations have bus connectivity. However, do remember, trains tend to close down for several weeks in a year for maintenance. So, in case you are looking for a house near a train station, look for alternate means of transport for those days.
Bus or Bussarna: Major Swedish cities such as Stockholm have extensive bus routes. You are never more than a few minutes from the nearest bus stop in the city limits. Two types of buses – Blue buses cover longer routes and Red ones have smaller routes. The display in front of the bus displays the bus stops and shows STOP or STANNER if someone has pressed the Stop button to inform the driver to stop. If it’s not pressed the bus might not stop. Press the red button beside your seat to stop the bus when your stop is shown on display. If the door doesn’t open automatically, press the button on the pole beside the door.
Traveling with pets: Common house pets (dogs, cats) are allowed on all public transportation with some restrictions. They need to be on a leash or in a crate at all times. On a bus, you need to go to the back of the bus along with your pet. On trains, trams, and the metro, check for the “pets allowed” sign on the door before entering. Guide dogs are allowed in every compartment. You usually don’t need any special permission or a ticket to travel with your pet. But if your pet doesn’t fit in the front space of your seat, you would need to buy a youth ticket while traveling on SJ. Pets are not allowed on seats and needs to be on the floor for the entire duration of the journey. A limited number of seats are available for pets on night trains, and you would need to pay for all 6 bunks in a couchette.
What happens when an SL service is not operational?
Trains, trams, or buses can be out of service if there is heavy snow, technical problems, or an accident. The police are also known to stop public transport if there is a search going on for a criminal. Nothing to worry about. Take a Taxi instead. If the public transport is not working and you have a valid SL ticket, SL will pay you the taxi fare, depending on certain conditions. You can check for disruptions on the SL app.
If you run a risk of being delayed by 20 minutes or more, you are entitled to a part refund for a taxi journey of a value of up to 1,210 SEK. If you are delayed by 60 minutes or more, you can get a full refund.
Ferry or Färja: SL operates three ferry routes that you can travel with your SL card. Of them, the Djurgården ferry is the most famous which takes you from Slussen to Djurgården with stops in two small scenic islands in between. It is also among the easiest way to reach Grona Lund. Apart from SL, you could take the Waxholmbolaget ferry service to go to about 300 locations along the Stockholm county coastline. See the route map here. Their classic steamboat fleet runs from May to September.
Intercity travel: You can’t travel between cities on an SL ticket. You can choose between trains and buses to travel to other cities such as Gothenburg or Malmo. While SJ is the national train carrier, there are several private ones too. You can catch a train from Stockholm Central Station. There are also several regional transportation services that connect the smaller towns. There are inter-country services too where one can go to places like Copenhagen in Denmark.
Fine: Riding on any SL vehicle without a valid ticket will lead to a fine in excess of 1,500 SEK and a reference would be made tagging your personal number. It, however, won’t affect your residence status as long as the penalty is paid. You can appeal any penalty but would have to pay within 10 days or risk further actions. There are often ticket checkers who check your tickets while the vehicle is in motion.
Student discount: A full-time student studying in any university gets a 30% discount on the regular SL ticket prices. When you are studying an advanced level of Swedish (for example SVA), you also become eligible for student discounts. You need to register for Mecenat and get the card approved. You can then use the card to get your discounts. Always make sure to have your student ID or Mecenat digital card with you while traveling. A ticket checker will likely ask you to show the card. If you can’t show your id/card, you will face a full penalty.
- https://www.regionstockholm.se/sparvagcity
- https://visitsweden.com/about-sweden/public-transportation/
- https://sl.se/en/in-english/getting-around/how-to-travel-with-sl
- https://sl.se/en/eng-info/contact/delay-compensation/
- https://mitt.sl.se/globalassets/villkor/villkor-eng.pdf
