Finland has an excellent public transportation network, especially in the big cities. They are connected so efficiently that you always have something available to reach your destination. If you miss the bus, you can probably take a tram instead.
In the capital of Finland, Helsinki, they have:
- Public buses
- Trains
- Trams
- Metro
In all the big cities like Tampere, Turku, Lappeenranta, Oulu, and Jyväskylä, you will get a very convenient transportation system. The buses keep coming at short intervals. For easier understanding, let’s say bus no.1: bus no 1 comes every 10-15 minutes during the weekdays. On the weekends, this interval becomes 20-30 minutes. The metro service is available every 3-5 minutes everyday. The trams are also available within a 5-15 minute interval.
Bus, Tram, metro and train gives an incredible combo for the city people
Usually, the frequency of transport is very high from 7 AM to 10 PM. The availability is slightly lower at other times. In Helsinki, metro service shuts down at 23:30.
The best thing about public transport is that there are no separate tickets for each medium. You will just get one ticket and you can ride whatever you want as long as the ticket is valid.
Where to buy the tickets?
The most convenient way to buy tickets is by using the app. You can buy tickets from the app with your debit/credit card. However, there is no one standard app for the whole of Finland.
There are different apps for different cities:
- Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo – HSL App
- Tampere – Nysse App
- Turku – Föli App
- Oulu – Oulu Tickets or OSL App
You will find all the apps in the Play Store or App Store. Just sign up and get the ticket.
Apart from that, there are some stops where you will see the “Ticket machine” where you can buy a single ticket with cash or card.
In buses, you can pay for a single journey with a Visa or Mastercard.
Ticket Prices:
Ticket prices vary in different cities. For example, a single ticket that is valid for 90 minutes in Zone AB is 2.95 euros in Helsinki. On the other hand, a single ticket that is valid for 90 minutes in Zone A in Oulu costs 2.06 euros (if paid by card).
In Helsinki, A-B Zone monthly tickets cost around 66 euros, and A-B-C Zone monthly tickets cost close to 97 euros. In Oulu, only the “A” zone monthly ticket is around 52 euros. So please check the app.
Not sure what a zone is? Well, in Finland, cities are divided into several parts. Each part is called a zone.
Fine:
If your ticket is checked onboard and you cannot show a valid ticket, you will be charged a fine of 80 euros to 100 euros. So try not to take the risk.