No to HSL price increases – students’ wallets can’t take any more!

HSL Helsinki Region Transport management is planning to increase ticket prices again in October. According to a news article published in Helsingin Sanomat on 19 Oct, a 3.1% increase in fares has been proposed for next year.

Every ticket price increase hits students hard, as their incomes do not increase at the same rate as general prices. For students, every euro spent on fares means less money available for essential living expenses. 

HSL should attract more passengers by offering more flexible and targeted ticket options. For example, reintroducing a student discount on HSL single tickets would encourage Otaniemi residents who only use public transport occasionally to travel more often, thereby increasing ticket revenue as well.

‘Well-functioning public transport is the foundation of vibrant cities, but the funding must come from somewhere other than students’ wallets’, urges Aalto University Student Union Board Member Kerttu Peura.

Public transport infrastructure in the metropolitan area has been significantly developed, and new connections are making public transport more attractive to passengers. However, the cost of developing public transport must not fall on ticket buyers in the form of price increases. Instead, the cities must take greater responsibility for funding public transport investments.

The City of Helsinki is proposing a 15% increase in its investments in public transport. Now it is time for Espoo and Vantaa to follow its lead. In the long term, HSL’s member municipalities must negotiate a fair and sustainable policy for sharing the costs of public transport improvements.

Good public transport must be both affordable and attractive to passengers.

Further information:

Kerttu Peura, AYY Board Member, Social Policy 

+358400265544