The Swedish Bus and Coach Federation, IRU member and the national voice for Sweden’s bus operators, has launched a joint initiative with the Swedish Sports Confederation to strengthen safety and simplify booking for sports teams, one of the sector’s most frequent user groups.
With 18,000 sports clubs regularly travelling by bus in Sweden, the partnership offers concrete tools for team organisers, helping ensure safe, reliable and professional group travel.
The initiative highlights how private bus operators, many of them SMEs, continue to work hand in hand with their customers to deliver high-quality services, contributing to Europe’s broader road safety and passenger mobility goals.
Bus and coach operators play a crucial role in providing safe, reliable, and sustainable transport for the sports sector, from youth teams to national elite squads. Many clubs have long-standing relationships with professional bus companies, often local SMEs, who provide flexible and cost-effective mobility solutions.
To strengthen this cooperation, the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation and the Swedish Sports Confederation have jointly developed checklists offering practical advice for booking and organising bus trips. The checklists aim to simplify the process for team leaders, coaches and organisers while supporting safety and service quality for all passengers.
IRU Vice President and Director of the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation Anna Grönlund said, “We are very pleased that the sports movement wants to help lower the threshold and make it easy to book and travel by bus.”
“The industry has long requested practical materials that, for example, a team leader can have in hand,” she added.
The joint effort highlights the important role of private bus operators in ensuring safe group travel and supporting active lifestyles through reliable mobility options. Initiatives like this also contribute to broader safety culture, a shared priority for bus and coach operators across Europe and globally.
“These checklists provide valuable support for both member federations and sports clubs before booking and during the trip itself,” said Stefan Bergh, the Secretary General of the Swedish Sports Confederation. “It’s an important initiative from Sweden’s bus companies that I believe will make a difference for the sports movement by enabling safer and more secure travel by bus.”
The materials were launched during Sweden’s Busstorget industry event and are now available on the websites of the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation and the Swedish Sports Confederation.