Public transport in Helsinki

Helsingin Bussiliikenne bus on HSL trunk line 550, on the day the traffic started with the new fleet and image.

In August 2013, HSL launched the first trunk bus route, the orbital line 550, formerly branded Jokeri. The trunk lines are meant to provide "metro-like" service with very short headways and a distinguishable fleet. The second orbital trunk line, number 560, opened in August 2015.[4] Trunk lines 500 and 510 started in August 2019.[5] August 2020 saw the addition of trunk line 200, while August 2021 was the start date of trunk buses 20, 30, 40 and 570. Trunk lines 300, 400 and 600 started in August 2022.[6]

Helsingin Bussiliikenne bus on HSL Helsinki internal line 75. The bus is in HSL's livery, which is a requirement for all new buses offered in tenders.

A Helsingin Bussiliikenne bus on line 93 at Itäkeskus

Kaadekuja bus stop

Internal bus routes of Helsinki can be found almost anywhere in Helsinki. For some parts of the city, even high-density, these buses provide the backbone of the public transportation system.[7]

An electronic, battery-powered timetable display found at selected stops

The routes are drawn and the timetables set by HSL, but operated by independent companies. HSL tenders a route or a set of routes and the company offering to operate the route for the best quality-price ratio will get the contract. The quality is measured with a pointing system which gives points for such aspects as the quietness, environmental efficiency and the size of the buses that would be used. The biggest bus operators are Nobina Finland, Veolia Transport Finland and Helsingin Bussiliikenne (HelB). These companies run a majority of the contract services. One rapidly expanding company is the VR (state rail) owned Pohjolan Liikenne, which has recently been very successful with the tendering. Mostly the expansion has been at the cost of HelB.[8][9]

Many of the buses operating in eastern Helsinki and Southern Espoo act as feeder lines for the Helsinki Metro. Nearly all other routes have the other end of their lines in the downtown near the Helsinki Central railway station. Such exceptions are present as dedicated lines operating directly from a suburb to another past the centre (for example Helsinki buses 51–54, 56–59).

The line numbers for the internal lines contain two or three digits and sometimes one or two letters.

Most lines are operated between 5:30 and 23:30, the most popular between 5:00 and 1:30. In daytime outside of rush hours the basic interval for buses is mostly either 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 minutes depending on the length and the demand of the line. Nighttime lines that operate only from 23:30 to 1:30 (and sometimes early morning) are signified by the additional letter N. Recently the tradition of having designated night routes has been broken and replaced with N-variants of daytime routes.

Other letters include:

• A: lengthened route, often to Kamppi, Elielinaukio or Rautatientori
• B: shortened, less direct route, often a feeder to a nearby metro station
• H: trams to/from Koskela and Töölö depots
• K: exception in route, often a lengthier route through a neighbourhood or termination somewhere different
• R: robot bus
• T: exception in route, often involving serving long cul-de-sacs or
• V: rush hour route (usually along a highway or busier roads)
• Z: faster or more direct route (usually along a highway or busier roads)

Helsinki bus terminals include Kamppi (mainly used for night and rush-hour buses), Rautatientori, Elielinaukio and Hakaniemi. Larger metro stations have their own feeder bus terminals.

Most daytime bus lines run between the hours of 5:30 and 23:45, with the most popular lines running until 1:30. On weekends, night buses operate between 1:30 and 4:00. During these times, there is a direct bus connection to all areas from the centre of Helsinki, while during the daytime for many of the same areas it would requird a combination of train and bus or metro and bus to get to the same places. At least 40 such night routes are part of the Helsinki bus network.[10][11] As with daytime buses, the bus drivers do not sell tickets or cards onboard and they must be purchased in advance.[12] Helsinki Central Station is the local transport hub for night buses in the city centre.

Kampin keskus, the terminal of night and rush-hour buses to Espoo

The regional bus lines are today managed by HSL in similar manner to the management of the internal lines of Helsinki. The regional lines are specially designed for moving people between important points in the metropolitan area and for the sole purpose of getting to downtown Helsinki. These lines tend to use the fastest possible way to get out of Helsinki, usually through motorways.

Lines from southern Espoo terminate at Kampin keskus during peak hours only, the ones from central Espoo and western Vantaa terminate at Elielinaukio and the ones from northern Vantaa and Kerava terminate at Rautatientori. The last two mentioned are located next to the central railway station. Some lines from central Espoo terminate at Kamppi instead of Elielinaukio.

The operating hours for regional lines are similar to those of internal lines, but the departures are often not as frequent.

At most times, the line numbers are composed of three digits and occasionally a letter or two accompanying them. Two-number regional lines are rare, and thus far only two have been created: 39 Kamppi-Myyrmäki (replaced by trunk bus 30) and 74 Hakaniemi-Porttipuisto (IKEA).

Under the new fare system adopted in April 2019 the region is divided onto four arch shaped zones: A, B, C and D. Zone A covers the inner Helsinki to about five kilometers from the Helsinki Central Station. Zone B covers rest of Helsinki (excluding areas in the east added to Helsinki in 2003) and parts of Vantaa and Espoo and whole Kauniainen. It covers up to 14 km from the Central station. Zone C covers the east most parts of Helsinki, rest of Espoo and Vantaa, including the airport, and small parts of Sipoo and Tuusula. Zone D covers most of Sipoo, Tuusula and all of Kerava in the northeast, and Siuntio and Kirkkonummi in the west.

One has to buy at least two zones, although one can buy the D zone separately. One can also buy three or four zones. If one has a pass for 2-3 zones, one can buy additional zones at a reduced price.

The transport system offers a vast number of different tickets and several ways to get them.

Single fare tickets can be bought from ticket machines or by a mobile app. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the sale of single tickets in buses ended in 2020 and it was later decided to make that permanent. The sale of tickets in trams had ended already in 2018. Each metro station and ferry stop, and most railway stations, are equipped with at least one ticket machine. The cost of an AB or BC ticket for an adult in 2021 is €2.80. For zones ABC it then price is €4.10.

Most users of the public transport have a Travel Card, an RFID card used as an electronic ticket. Users can load period and value on their cards. Period ticket offers unlimited travel for the dates paid for. Value is used to pay for one trip, which may contain changes.

Two zone single trip tickets are valid for one 80–110 minutes depending on the zones used. AB, BC and D tickets have 80 minutes and ABCD has 110 minutes.

On most buses, the driver checks tickets as passengers board. The metro, local trains, trams, ferries, and nine bus lines classified as trunk lines use a proof-of-payment system: fare inspectors check tickets on randomly selected vehicles, and charge a fine of €80 and the price of a single ticket to those who do not have one.[17] If a passenger has forgotten his/her Travel Card with valid travel period, the passenger may later visit a service point of the transport company and will not have to pay the fine.