Car Free Day 22 September – public transport for one euro
Give your car a day off and take public transport on Saturday 22 September. On the Car Free Day, you can travel on HSL’s public transport services at reduced fares.
On 22 September, it’s worth trying public transport: a city internal ticket for adults costs only one euro, children’s ticket 50 cents. A regional or 2-zone extended regional ticket for adults costs EUR2, children's ticket EUR1. Extended regional tickets for the whole HSL area cost EUR3 for adults and EUR1.50 for children. More information about tickets
This year, you can also play Public Transport Game on the Car Free Day. The game can be played from 10am to 2pm. The game website is available in Finnish only. The game has been developed by HSL, Ilmastoinfo, Nokia and Forum Virium. There are almost 40 control points in the capital area, among others museums, sports venues and libraries. The players visit the control points by public transport, the Journey Planner helps to plan the routes.
To play the game, you need a personal or multi-user Travel Card, or a contactless 1-7 day ticket. The main prize in the draw is a one-year public transport ticket. There are also other ticket prizes and prizes will also be drawn at several control points.
By downloading a photograph of your car enjoying a day off, you can participate in a Facebook competition held by Ilmastoinfo, in which the photographer of the photo with most votes will win HSL’s regional ticket for one year. The competition runs until 28 September.
HSL promotes sustainable mobility
The Car Free Day is part of the European Mobility Week, which runs from 16 to 22 September. Activities during the week include theme days such as Ride Sharing Day held on 19 September and Telecommuting Day on 21 September. On 21 September, Parking Day organized by Ilmastoinfo is celebrated in downtown Helsinki.
“The aim is to get people pay attention to the way they travel. Most people never think what are the impacts of their travel choices,” says Tarja Jääskeläinen, the Head of Mobility Management at HSL.
About one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions in the Helsinki metropolitan area are from traffic. Private cars account for over half of the emissions. It is, however, not always necessary to drive a car. Public transport, walking and cycling are good options for many journeys.
HSL’s mobility management aims to promote the use of sustainable modes of transport, including car sharing, ride sharing and economic driving. In addition to promoting people’s health, sustainable modes of transport save the environment and money. Urban traffic flows better and living comfort improves.