How to get a bus card in Finland? Is it really needed?

I think you already know that Finland has an amazing public transportation network. If you are moving to Finland for the first time, you will need a bus card for public transportation.

How did I get my first card?

When I moved to Finland for the first time, I was living in Oulu. Let’s discuss how I got my first bus card in Oulu. On my second day, I went to “Oulu 10,” which is located in the Oulu city center. I took a serial token from the machine and then talked to one of the representatives. I told them I had moved for the first time as a student and needed a bus card. They asked for my student ID and what kind of package I would like to take. 

My friend had already told me that a monthly ticket for Zone A is pretty economical since I regularly need to go to the center. So I asked them for a monthly package. They handed me the card in the picture and charged me 42 euros (this price was after the student discount for the year 2022/2023) and another 3.5 euros for the card (this 3.5 euro is just a one time payment).

                                                                                                                       Oulu bus card.

How long did this process take?

I guess about 15 minutes. It was activated when I first scanned the card on a bus.

However, if you do not want to go to the “Oulu 10” office, they have another service that will deliver the bus card to your home. Check it out on Waltti’s website (Waltti is the company that runs the bus service in Oulu).

What is the use of this card?

You can use this card in two ways, both are available in online (www.osl.fi):

1. You can choose value tickets, which means you recharge a certain amount of money on the card through the Waltti app. For example, if I recharge 21 euros, I can travel almost 10 times on the bus.
2. You can choose period tickets, which means you pay a fixed amount for a month. In Oulu, for Zone A, the monthly ticket price was 42 euros. With this payment, I could travel as much as I wanted in a month within Zone A.

For the period tickets, you can recharge your card for 1 to 3 months (90 days) in advance.

Which option would be better for you?

FYI, a single ticket costs around 2.05 euros in Oulu for 1 zone, which is valid for 80 minutes.

I was working in the city center 5-6 days a week and also visiting different places with my friends during weekends. Imagine how much I would have to pay if I chose the value ticket option. That is why I always used the period tickets for a month.

What happened when I moved to Helsinki?

In Helsinki, I am doing quite well without a bus card. The reason is that the Helsinki authority has an app called “HSL App” for the users, and this is SUPER HANDY. This app allows you to:

• Get single journey/multiple journey/monthly tickets from the app.
• Even if you are using a monthly ticket, you do not need to carry a physical card. Your bus ticket will be available in the app.
• Get all route updates in the app in case any service has stopped on a particular route. For example, today I was waiting for the trams but did not find any for about 10 minutes. Then I checked the app, and they informed me that the tram service on that route was stopped due to electrical issues.
• Buy tickets in a subscription model. For example, if you commit to buying tickets for 12 months, you will get them at a cheaper price. You can choose to pay monthly or pay altogether at once.
• Use a Google Maps equivalent feature within the app, which shows the connections available to your destination. The app also shows which zone ticket you will need to reach your destination.

HSL also offers a bus card along with the app.

But what if you are more comfortable with a bus card?