Human rights and due diligence

Statement on due diligence assessments

Ruter is subject to the Transparency Act, and the Act requires Ruter to carry out due diligence assessments. It is the Norwegian Consumer Authority that supervises compliance with the Act. 

Here you can read our reports on how we work to reduce human rights violations and ensure decent working conditions in the supply chain. Download as PDF:

Ruter’s responsibility as a public purchaser

As a public purchaser, we are obliged to safeguard human rights and workers’ rights in our procurements where there is a risk of violations of these. Ruter develops, plans, coordinates and markets public transport services in Oslo and Akershus.

We enter into contracts with operating companies that carry out the transport assignments. Ruter does not have its own operational staff linked to the transport services. These services are provided by operators who own the vehicles and who are also the employers of the drivers and other staff.

At the same time, Ruter has a responsibility as a contracting authority to set requirements, carry out due diligence assessments, and follow up to ensure that the operators safeguard standards for decent working conditions and human rights. Ruter is owned by the City of Oslo and Akershus County Municipality. As a publicly owned company, we comply with:

• Public Procurement Act
• Public Procurement Regulations/Utilities Regulations
• Covered by the Transparency Act
• Follows international standards (UNGP, OECD, ILO)

We support the Oslo Model and the Viken Model’s requirements and guidelines for responsible business practices and respect for people, the environment, and society.

Contract terms and ethical requirements for suppliers

Ruter sets clear ethical requirements for its suppliers through contracts. The requirements apply both to the supplier’s own operations and to the entire supply chain.

All operators, suppliers and subcontractors that provide goods and services to Ruter must comply with these documents:

The requirements are based on international standards for responsible business conduct, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the OECD Guidelines and the ILO core conventions.

Suppliers are obligated to work systematically with due diligence assessments, and to prevent, address, and remedy any violations of human rights and decent working conditions. Ruter monitors compliance through dialogue, contract follow-up, and, when necessary, by requiring improvement measures.

How Ruter works with due diligence assessments

Due diligence assessments are an integral part of the entire procurement process, from the preliminary phase and the conduct of the competition, to contract signing and follow-up during the contract period. The work is based on the OECD’s and the UN’s guidelines for responsible business conduct.

1. Anchoring accountability

The work is rooted in Ruter’s governing documents for procurement. Clear ethical guidelines, contractual requirements, and internal procedures form the basis for this work. Ruter prioritizes which procurements and contracts require special follow-up, based on risk.

In practice, this means:

• Annual review of new procurements and review and prioritisation of the follow-up of existing contracts
• Reports to the management team 2–3 times a year
• The board receives a briefing and an annual statement for signature once a year

2. Mapping and risk assessment

We identify and assess the risk of negative impacts on human rights and working conditions:

• In all new procurements of transport services (bus, boat, special transport and micromobility).
• In selected procurement categories for goods and services with elevated risk, among other things based on DFØ’s high-risk list, such as IT equipment and cleaning services.

To strengthen the knowledge base, we also use external analyses and reports.

• Here you will find, among other things, a Swedish report that highlights inherent risk areas in the supply chain for electric buses: Tvångsarbete och människorättsrisker bakom elbussar i svensk kollektivtrafik (2023), Etisk Handel Sverige.
• OECD Guidelines – Responsible Business Conduct

3. Measures to prevent and reduce negative impact

Identified risk is followed up through:

• Contractual requirement for due diligence assessments throughout the entire contract period
• Systematic and risk-based contract management
• Dialogue, cooperation and influence together with suppliers
• Industry collaboration where the challenges are structural and require long-term effort.

Everyone participating in a tender competition for transport services must submit an initial due diligence assessment together with their bid.

The risk assessment must describe what risks exist in the supply chain and how these risks are managed in order to safeguard human rights and decent working conditions. The purpose is to contribute to responsible business practices throughout the entire supply chain and to ensure that tenderers carry out due diligence before choosing suppliers. This enables the contract terms to be followed up in the best possible way during the contract period.

4. Follow-up of implementation and results (monitoring and improvement)

Ruter monitors that measures have the desired effect through:

• Follows up on contractual requirements for due diligence assessments throughout the entire contract period
• Dialogue, meetings and visits at facilities and production sites where relevant
• Cooperation on improvement measures if nonconformities are uncovered
• Follow-up to ensure that nonconformities are closed and contribute to lasting improvements

We also pay special attention to working conditions for drivers and site employees, including HSE and facilities, in cooperation with the operators.

5. Openness and communication

The work on due diligence assessments is communicated through:

• Market dialogue
• Statements pursuant to the Transparency Act
• Information on the website
• Dialogue and networking, including with drivers and other relevant stakeholders

Collaboration and further development

Ruter collaborates with other public stakeholders and the industry to strengthen efforts on responsible supply chains. Among other things, we are a member of Ethical Trade Norway. As a member of Ethical Trade Norway, we are obliged to follow part 3 of Ethical Trade Norway’s declaration of principles, Principles for Sustainable Business Practice.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is important for developing and improving the work over time, and Ruter therefore participates in several forums and working groups:

• ETI Sweden – the Electric Vehicles working group
• The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management (DFØ) for guidance on public procurement
• The Collective Association – cooperation and development for public actors in sustainable mobility
• Skift – business climate leaders for sustainable transformation