The visit to Gothenburg concluded a four -day-long state visit to Sweden, where the Canadian Governor General met with the Swedish government and the Royal family.
Canada is an important market for the Volvo Group with more than 2000 employees, primarily with Volvo Buses’ subsidiaries Nova Bus and Prevost. Also present in the country with operations and employees are Volvo Construction Equipment, Volvo Penta as well as the truck companies Mack Truck and Volvo Trucks.
The President and CEO of Volvo Group, Martin Lundstedt welcomed David Johnston to Gothenburg along with his delegation, the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf and the Swedish Prince Carl Philip. The consistent theme for the day was sustainable transportation – a significant topic for Martin Lundstedt.
“Sustainable transportation is not only about environmental improvement. The concept includes several aspects of society. Reducing noise levels in cities is one example and making public transportation more attractive is another”, said Martin Lundstedt, referring to the work with developing ElectriCity in Gothenburg.
“I’m very proud of what we have achieved in Gothenburg with Volvo’s electric buses. It’s a success story where our public-private partnership has been of great significance”, continued Martin Lundstedt.
As such, a natural part of the agenda for David Johnston was riding on Volvo’s electric bus. He was especially intrigued as Montreal, the second largest city in Canada, has decided to implement electric buses as a step towards reducing CO2 emission. Starting at the end of March this year, three electric buses from Nova Bus will transport travelers through central parts of the city. Montreal is also the first city in North America to collaborate with the Volvo Group program City Mobility. The purpose of the program is to develop sustainable public transportation in world cities, in close collaboration with local authorities and businesses.
While on the bus, David Johnston listened to Jessica Sandström, responsible for sales within City Mobility. She emphasized the importance of better public transportation.
“We need to get people to choose public transportation and in order for us to succeed in that, we need to create attractive systems”, said Jessica Sandström.
The delegation also made a visit to Volvo Trucks Experience Center. Together with – among others – the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Anna Johansson and Martin Lundstedt, the discussion on sustainable transportation at sea and on land continued.
