Public transport fares to hike by 8% in Helsinki from January

The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (Helsingin seudun liikenne – HSL) will increase the public transport fares by an average of 8 percent from January 1, 2025, said HSL in a press release on Tuesday.

As per the new price, an adult AB single ticket will cost EUR 3.20, and an ABCD single ticket EUR 4.80.

An adult 30-day AB season ticket will cost EUR 72.10 as a one-off purchase, and an ABCD season ticket EUR 118.80.

HSL said that ticket prices need to be increased in order to maintain the public transport level of service.

The authority pointed out four main reasons behind the prices hike.

The reasons are an increase in the value-added tax on public transport from 10 percent to 14 percent planned by the State, increased operating costs, increased infrastructure costs, and significantly decreased travel by people working in expert positions, which is reflected in reduced commuting.

The pricing also takes into account how much funding municipalities provide to public transport in the form of municipal contributions, i.e. how much of the costs of transport services they cover.

“All these changes mean higher prices for public transport users. To cover the increased costs, funding is needed from both service users and the municipalities. The increase in the value-added tax on public transport alone creates pressure to increase ticket prices by about six percent. The trend of more people working remotely and commuting less means that we have challenges in generating enough ticket revenue to cover the cost of public transport," said Mari Flink, Director of the Market Division.