Contactless payment with debit and credit cards will be introduced on all our public transport services. In the future, you no longer need to visit a service point to update your information or your discount entitlement; everything is done digitally. Our goal is a simple, straightforward and attractive ticket range that promotes the use of public transport and meets the changing mobility needs.
Move to digital ticket purchase channels
In the future, we encourage customers to increasingly use digital channels to purchase tickets. The use of digital channels has increased rapidly. Currently, 50 per cent of ticket sales is via the HSL app. It is estimated that in 2023, the HSL app, HSL.fi and contactless payment will account for 90 per cent of ticket sales.
Student discount will be available only on the HSL app from the start of 2022. Buying tickets with the app is easy. The discount entitlement is verified from a digital service of the Finnish National Agency for Education. This means, students no longer need to visit a service point to update their discount entitlements.
Contactless payment and HSL app will replace value tickets and ticket machines
When contactless payment is widely introduced, the role of value loaded on the HSL card as a payment method decreases. Contactless payment is a fast and easy way to buy tickets. You simply show your debit or credit card to a card reader in the same way that you now show your HSL card but you do not need to top up your card at a ticket machine or sales point.
In the future, HSL cards can no longer be topped up at ticket machines and the ticket machine network will be scaled down in phases. The current relatively extensive ticket machine network dates back to a time when tickets were not available via the app or the online HSL card service.
Contactless payment and the HSL app will replace the purchase of single tickets using value loaded on the HSL card and at ticket machines as well as top up of HSL cards at ticket machines once contactless payment is extensively introduced and the current travel card system is dismantled. According to current plans, this will happen in 2023.
In the account-based model, single tickets can be easily purchased using contactless payment and the HSL app, while season tickets will be available with the app and online. Tickets will be available from sales and service points also in the future for customer who cannot use digital channels.