New Kutsuplus buses
Five new Kutsuplus buses will enter into service towards the end
of 2013. The buses will be operated by Oy Andersson Ab. HSL
received four bids for the service contract and the Executive Board
of HSL awarded the contract on 11 June.
Kutsuplus provides a new kind of demand-responsive service: it
is easy to use with fast online booking and online payment using a
Trip Wallet, which is part of the service. A pilot service was
launched in October 2012 and the service was opened for public use
in April 2013.
At present, there are ten Kutsuplus minibuses operating mainly
in an area south of Ring Road I. The five new buses will enter into
service at the earliest in October or at the latest in January 2014
and continue to operate until the end of 2016.
The new Kutsuplus buses are Euro 5 compliant. They have at least
eight passenger seats and are furnished with high-quality equipment
such as air conditioning, rear view cameras, laptop connectors and
remotely controlled sliding doors. Travel comfort is enhanced by
low interior noise levels achieved by cushioned seats, curtains and
carpets.
Extended service area
HSL aims to increase the number of Kutsuplus buses gradually so
that by the end of 2015 there would be about a hundred buses. In
addition, HSL plans to get supplementary vehicles to smooth out
peaks in demand. When enough experience has been gained in the
current service area, it will be possible to extend the service
area to cover the entire Helsinki metropolitan area.
The service has mainly been very positively rated by users and
HSL has further developed the service on the basis of feedback from
customers and drivers. Recently, a simplified version of the
Kutsuplus website was opened making the service available on all
mobile phones with a browser.
Kutsuplus is well-suited also for companies, for example, for
journeys between offices or visiting customers. Thanks to the
shared Trip Wallet, paying the journeys is easy, safe and
economic.
More information about the service, registration and booking of
rides: kutsuplus.fi
Simplified version of the service: kutsuplus.fi/m