General Travel Conditions for Helsinki Region Travel Card Users
These travel conditions are valid from the 1st January 2010 and regard the Helsinki Region Travel Card and the use of the period tickets and value loaded on the card on public transport in the area of validity of HSL’s regional tickets. The Travel Card service points mentioned in the travel conditions are the following:
• HSL service points and service point in Kerava
• Municipal service points in Espoo and Vantaa
The Travel Card service points are normally open Monday to Friday except for bank holidays. For opening hours, please call Travel Card assistance on (09) 4766 4000.
Using the Travel Card
On public transport vehicles as well as in the ticket purchase area of the underground, train or ferry, passengers must have a Travel Card, which has been loaded with a valid period ticket or a value ticket that entitles the passenger to make the journey. The Travel Card has to be shown to the card reader every time a passenger boards a bus or enters the commuter train platform area through VR’s fare collection gate by night. On other vehicles, it is not necessary to show the card to the reader if there is a valid period or value ticket on the card.
The validity of the period ticket loaded on the Travel Card can be checked by showing the Travel Card to the card reader. A passenger buys a value ticket from the card reader by pressing a zone button. Purchase of value tickets from the self-service card reader and the use of the card are at passengers’ responsibility and thus, individual value tickets purchased by mistake shall not be refunded. The right of transfer with a value ticket can be checked by showing the Travel Card to the card reader.
During the night fare hours between 2am and 4.30am the period tickets loaded onto the Travel Card are not valid. Please note that free tickets and direct-debit period tickets (excluding general period tickets and period tickets loaded on multi-user Travel Cards) are valid also during the night fare hours.
Ticket inspection
A penalty fare will be issued to a passenger found traveling without a valid ticket. The price of a single or value ticket will also be charged. If the Travel Card is abused, the inspector or another person authorized by HSL, HKL or VR can take the Travel Card away from the passenger.
Proof of identity
The personal Travel Card can only be used by the owner of the card who must, if asked by an inspector, show proof of their identity. A child 7 to 16 years old using a child’s Travel Card must, if asked by the inspector, show proof of their age to the ticket inspector.
Change of customer information
If the customer group, customer group validity or home municipality of the owner of a personal Travel Card changes, the owner’s duty is to go to a Travel Card service point in order to change the information on the card. From spring 2010, the home municipality is updated automatically.
The useful life of the card
Travel Cards are being changed to new generation Travel Cards. When changing cards, the information stored on the old card and any possible value or period ticket valid on the old card will be transferred into the new card. No card charge will be charged to customers for the change of card. HSL will inform passengers on the procedures involved in the change of cards as well as on the period allowed for change. After the period allowed for the card change expires, the old Travel Card can no longer be used for paying fares, but customers can still change their Travel Cards and transfer the period ticket and/or value left on the old card to the new one at certain service points for two years. The period ticket left on a card will be loaded to a new card from the day on which the customer comes to the Travel Card service point to take care of the matter. A processing fee will be charged for the change of cards after the period allowed for card change has expired.
The useful life of the new Travel Card is 5 years from the moment of purchase. After the useful life of the card has expired, the card cannot be used on card readers anymore, but the value left on the old card can be transferred to a new card at a Travel Card service point for one year after the expiry date.
The validity of a customer group or period ticket loaded on the card cannot exceed the useful life of the card.
Card charge
There is a charge for purchasing a Travel Card. However, no card charge will be made for a new Travel Card if the old card has been damaged because of a system default.
Processing fee
A processing fee will be charged to the customer in connection with a refund in the situations mentioned below. However, no processing fee will be charged, if the Travel Card has been damaged because of a system default.
If the Travel Card does not work
If the Travel Card does not work on the card reader, the passenger should turn to the driver/conductor/ticket inspector, who can use their devices to check the card.
The passenger must visit a Travel Card service point to clarify the reason for the card not working. The travel period and/or value left on a faulty Travel Card can be transferred to a new card. The direct costs caused by the malfunctioning of the Travel Card (i.e. single tickets as well as phone calls and postage) will be refunded to the customer on a case by case basis. If the default in the card is caused by the user of the card, a processing fee and a card charge will be charged.
If the card reader does not work
If a card reader does not work, the passenger must turn to the driver/conductor/ticket inspector to check the validity of the period ticket on the card, to buy a value ticket or to check the right of transfer. If the system has such problems that the customer cannot buy a ticket for their journey without major inconvenience, the penalty fare may not be charged.
Lost card
Customers can report lost Travel Cards and the card can be cancelled by the social security number of the owner. A multi-user Travel Card can be cancelled if the owner’s personal data or the company’s business ID has been registered in the card registry. A Travel Card can be cancelled either by calling (09) 4766 4000 or visiting a Travel Card service point. Travel Cards are placed on a revocation list according to rules set out by HSL. A cancelled Travel Card cannot be used for traveling. Period tickets and/or value cannot be loaded on a cancelled card. Card charge will not be refunded in case a Travel
Card is cancelled.
The period ticket and/or value left on a lost and cancelled Travel Card can be transferred to a new card. The period ticket left on a card will be loaded to a new card from the day on which the customer comes to the Travel Card service point to take care of the matter. A processing fee will be charged for the transfer in addition to the card charge for the new card.
Unpaid value or period
If the period ticket or value loaded onto the Travel Card remains unpaid in part or in full, the card, upon request for payment, will be cancelled.
Changing the period ticket to another
A period ticket loaded on a Travel Card can be changed to a new period ticket of another type (i.e. for another zone) and of at least 14 days. For example, a city internal period ticket can be changed to a regional period ticket. However, the dates of the period ticket cannot be changed.
If the price of the remaining period ticket is higher than that of the new period ticket, the difference in price will remain on the customer’s Travel Card as value. If the price of the remaining period ticket is lower than that of the new period ticket, the customer will pay the difference. A processing fee will be charged for the change.
Period ticket or value refund
Travel Card enquiries and refunds are dealt with at Travel Card service points. Complaints are also dealt with at service points. Customers who have an enquiry must present a proof of identity.
Claim for refund and/or complaint must be made within two months from when the default or reason for refund arose. Possible refunds will be paid in compliance with the provisions given on consumer protection. Refund is paid only for personal Travel Cards and multi-user Travel Cards with the owner’s personal data.
If the claim for refund is accepted, the leftover period ticket will be converted into value or refunded according to the prices valid at the time of loading. A processing fee will be charged for the refund of period or value. Value loaded on a Travel Card can be refunded to customer only in cases mentioned below.
Refund in case of changes in the customer’s conditions of life
A period ticket loaded on a Travel Card can be refunded by converting it into value if at least 14 days of the period have been used.
Due to unemployment, incapacity for work, changing home municipality, job or place of study to another municipality within the area of validity of HSL’s regional tickets or outside it, or after receiving a free ticket the period ticket can be refunded by converting it into value on the same or a new Travel Card even if less than 14 days of the period have been used. The refund is possible from the day on which the customer comes to the Travel Card service point to take care of the matter.
If less than 14 days of the period have been used, one of the abovementioned bases for refund (e.g. unemployment) has to be proven accordingly. The card charge will not be refunded.
If a customer’s new place of residence, work or study is situated outside the area of validity of HSL’s regional tickets, a refund for the remaining travel period and/or value can be paid also into the customer’s bank account. In such a case the passenger shall leave their Travel Card at the service point. The leftover period ticket will be converted into value and refunded according to the prices valid at the time of loading.
A processing fee will be charged for the refund.
If the customer cannot visit the service point in person due to illness, they can authorize another person to take care of the matter.
Refund due to hospital treatment or in case of death
Refund is possible also in case of being hospitalized, or in case of death. Basis for refund has to be proven accordingly at a Travel Card service point. In case of the customer being hospitalized, the period ticket loaded on a personal Travel Card is refunded from the time of hospitalization. The term hospitalization is used to refer also to outpatient care.
In case of death, the period ticket loaded on a personal Travel Card is refunded from the date of death onwards, as is the value remaining on the card on the day that the card is returned. The card charge will not be refunded. The refund will be paid to the customer’s / decedent’s estate’s bank account. The Travel Card is returned to the service point. A processing fee will be charged for the refund.
Refund due to setting up a direct-debit agreement
A travel period on the Travel Card can be converted into value if the customer signs a direct-debit agreement for paying a period ticket. The value is used for buying a new period ticket valid until the start date of the direct debit ticket. If any value remains unused, it will be left on the card. No processing fee will be charged.
On the basis of a claim for a refund, a period ticket and/or value on the Travel Card can also be paid into the customer’s bank account. In such a case, the customer will receive a new Travel Card for the direct debit period ticket and the customer will leave the old card at the service point. No card charge will be made for the new card but a processing fee will be charged for the refund.
Refund of a direct-debit ticket
The customer must serve a notice of termination of the direct-debit agreement if they are applying for a refund on a basis of incapacity for work. Direct debit cannot be stopped temporarily for the period of incapacity for work nor can refunds be applied for retrospectively. In other cases, the above mentioned procedures for refund in case of changes in the conditions of life, refund due to hospital treatment or in case of death shall apply. In case of a direct-debit ticket, refund is possible only for the months paid for, not for the month the customer gets free of charge.
Refund due to receiving an employer-subsidized commuter ticket
If a new period ticket is loaded onto the customer’s own Travel Card as an employer-subsidized commuter ticket, the period paid by the customer can be converted into value. The refund is made at a Travel Card service point from the date on which the employer-subsidized commuter ticket’s period begins. A processing fee will be charged for the refund.
On the basis of a claim for a refund, the value can also be paid into a bank account if the value left on the card exceeds EUR 20. In such a case, the customer’s old Travel Card will be replaced with a new one serving as an employer-subsidized commuter ticket. No card charge will be made for the new card but a processing fee will be charged for the refund.
Any travel period left on the Travel Card can also be refunded to the customer if their employer has provided a new Travel Card used as an employer-subsidized commuter ticket. A claim for a refund is done at a Travel Card service point. The travel period bought by the customer will be refunded from the date on which the employer-subsidized commuter ticket’s period began. The old card will be handed over at the service point. The refund for the period ticket and the card charge will be paid into the customer’s bank account. A processing fee will be charged for the refund.
The same principle is applied also when a customer has received a commuter voucher from their employer. Other bases for refund related to employer-subsidized commuter tickets are defined in
invoice agreements signed between employers and HSL.
Strikes and other traffic disruptions
In case of an extensive lack of service, for example a strike affecting bus services, specific refund instructions will be given. Disruptions to transport services, for example a service not running or being delayed or ahead of time, do not generally entitle customers to refunds. Refunds are considered on a case by case basis upon application submitted to HSL.
Enquiring about information on the Travel Card
Customers may ask for information concerning their personal Travel Cards approximately from the last six months at a Travel Card service point. The customer must present a proof of identity (an official identification card, passport, driver’s license, or a Kela card with a photograph). The customer does not have to have their Travel Card with them.
The information on a multi-user Travel Card is given to any person holding the card. The Travel Card has to be presented at the service point if the owner’s personal data has not been recorded on the card.
The passenger can also check information regarding the validity of the period ticket, value balance and value tickets at the card readers on public transport vehicles and metro stations. The information can also be received from all Travel Card sales points as well as from Travel Card ticket machines and VR’s ticket vending machines. VR’s ticket machines do not, however, read new generation Travel Cards.
Data protection
Customer’s identification information as well as loading and ticket sales data that HSL needs in order to attend to the Travel Card system customer service and consumer protection, are collected in the Travel Card system customer register. The kinds of information which are being registered in the customer register are specified in the registration specification (in Finnish only) to be found on the Internet at www.hsl.fi. The most common cases in which the customer data is used are when the personal Travel Card is handed to the customer, when the customer needs to change address or report change of home municipality, when a lost card is found and the owner must be identified, when the card is cancelled, when the card is cancelled at the termination of customership or employment, when a defective card needs to be changed, when a customer must be identified in case of refund of value or period ticket, when working out errors, or when checking loadings and value transactions at the request of the customer.
Also multi-user Travel Card owners’ personal information or a company’s business ID can, at the customer’s request, be registered at the moment of purchase at a Travel Card service point. The registration is not possible afterwards.
Personal information is not given out to third parties unless required by law or authorities. The rights to update and check the customer data is held by the employees of the service points, who are obligated to keep the information confidential. This personnel has the right to screen the information concerning the period ticket and value loadings of the customer’s Travel Card as well as value transactions from the past six months only at the customer’s request.
Customers have the right to ask their personal information to be removed from the Travel Card customer registry. Customers can leave a signed application at a Travel Card service point, where a proof of identity must be presented. Period and/or value left on the customer’s Travel Card will be refunded only in the cases mentioned above.
HSL Helsinki Regional Transport Authority acts as the registrar of the Travel Card customer register. The person in charge of the customer register is the Director of the Passenger Services Department. The registration specification (in Finnish only) and contact information of the persons in charge are available at Travel Card service points, HSL’s register office and on HSL’s web pages.