Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) plans to raise ticket prices at the beginning of next year, it announced on Tuesday.
The price of tickets for the authority's buses, trams, trains and ferries in the capital region will rise by an average of eight percent.
HSL's ticket prices are based on a zone system, which divides the region into four areas identified by the letters A, B, C and D.
For example a single adult ticket for the AB zone will rise to 3.20 euros (currently 2.95 euros), while a ticket for all zones (ABCD) will rise by 30 cents to 4.80 euros.
Additionally, the price of a single adult ticket bought using a form of contactless payment will be around seven percent higher than the base ticket price. Next year HSL will also add an E region to its service area.
But before that happens, the price of a D-zone ticket will rise to the same price as a two-zone ticket.
HSL's board made the price hike decision on Tuesday morning, at a meeting where members discussed next year's sales goal of 408 million euros, or about ten percent more than the authority expects in income this year.
The authority's markets director, Mari Flink, confirmed that the board approved the decisions in a 7-7 vote, with the chair casting a deciding vote.
HSL has defended the ticket price hikes by pointing to increased costs prompted by the recent value-added tax hike as well as infrastructure spending.
Last week a number of people gathered in Helsinki's district of Itä-Pasila to protest the ticket price hike plans.
Flink said she understands their frustration. However the markets director added that she does not think the increases will prompt people to stop using public transport.
"If we look at ticket price developments since 2018, in practice HSL has not, on average, raised ticket prices much. Some years prices increased while in others they decreased. Even when compared internationally, we have very affordable ticket prices for public transport," Flink told Yle.
She added that the most affordable way to use HSL's transport options is to buy a season ticket, which offers a full year's worth of travel for the price of 10 months.
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