Reader’s Opinion | Public transport in the Helsinki region is in dire need of government support

The threat is that next year the price of a monthly ticket for public transport may rise from the current 65 euros to more than 70 euros.

Helsinki public transport in the region is still in a very difficult situation. During the fall, one of the big questions in the Helsinki region is the future of the region’s public transport.

The number of passengers in the HSL area this year is sharply behind the years before the coronavirus pandemic. This means a big deficit in HSL’s finances. According to estimates, the number of passengers will not be at the level of 2019 yet next year, not in 2024 and not even in 2025. Half of our public transport is financed by passenger ticket revenue, which will not return to the level we are used to for years.

Due to HSL’s financial situation, ticket prices are being raised again. The threat is that next year the price of a monthly ticket for public transport may rise from the current 65 euros to more than 70 euros. This happens regardless of whether the public transport zones are reformed.

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We are in a situation where we have a high risk of a weakening of the cycle of public transport. The increase in ticket prices and the deterioration of the service level – for example, the lengthening of the service intervals, when traveling is not as fast or smooth as before – easily lead to the fact that we cannot attract passengers back to use public transport.

In the Helsinki region, public transport is a prerequisite for many people’s daily lives to run smoothly, emissions to decrease and companies to succeed. The significance is illustrated by the fact that 80 percent of all urban public transport trips in Finland are made on HSL’s means of transport. The challenges of emerging from the crisis also affect the HSL region the most. The increase in ticket prices in the midst of other economic uncertainties challenges people’s everyday life, the achievement of our climate goals and the future of the entire public transport system.

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We now desperately need state support in the crisis. The state has supported public transport during the pandemic, but the crisis in public transport has not yet been resolved. The municipalities of the region and HSL have no chance of coping with the equation alone, but we need significant bridge financing from the state for the next years, when passenger numbers will still return to the level before the exceptional times.

Anni Sinnemäki

chairman (green)

Risto Rautava

Vice President (CEO)

Eveliina Heinäluoma (sd)

Mia Haglund (left)

Silja Borgarsdóttir Sandelin (r)

Mika Raatikainen (ps)

Members of the Helsinki City Environment Board

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