Passenger numbers on Helsinki region public transport continued to increase in 2012

Passenger numbers on Helsinki region public transport continued
to increase in 2012.The number of journeys made on HSL's transport
services totaled nearly 344.9 million, up by 2.7 percent from the
previous year. Tram ridership increased the most, with an increase
of 6.6 percent. On Kirkkonummi internal bus services, the increase
was 5.4 percent, on regional services 4.9, and on Vantaa internal
services 4.4 percent.

Passenger satisfaction with public transport services continued
at high levels, although the grades given by bus and Metro
passengers were slightly down from the previous year. In HSL’s
customer survey, 81.7 percent of the respondents gave public
transport services either a good a very good overall grade.

“Sipoo joined HSL at the beginning of 2012. At the end of the
year, 3,300 residents of Sipoo were using a Travel Card, and the
number of public transport passengers has been increasing also in
Sipoo. HSL started to prepare a transport service plan for Sipoo
immediately after it had joined in, and the plan will be completed
this year. We hope other municipalities will follow Sipoo. HSL’s
goal is to expand to cover the entire Helsinki region so that
public transport services could be planned and procured even more
effectively,” says HSL’s Executive Director Suvi Rihtniemi.

Increased ticket revenue, reduced fare dodging

In 2012, HSL's operating income totaled EUR 564.8 million, of
which ticket revenue accounted for 47.7 percent and municipal
contributions for 49.2 percent.  HSL’s ticket revenue increased
from 2011 by some EUR 16.9 million to EUR 269.7 million.

Ticket inspections were carried out more effectively thanks to
new inspection devices. In total, 3.4 million passengers’ tickets
were checked (2.8 million in 2011). The share of passengers found
traveling without a valid ticket was down to 3.2 (3.6 percent in
2011). Penalty fares issued by HSL totaled EUR 5.6 million.

Increased operating costs, reduced emissions from bus
services

Operating expenses amounted to EUR 552.3 million. Operating
costs were the largest item of expenditure at EUR 437.7 million, or
79.3 percent of the operating expenses. The public transport cost
level rose on average by 4.4 percent in 2011. HSL’s member
municipalities charged HSL a total of EUR 8.3 million for the use
of public transport infrastructure. 

HSL’s personnel costs amounted to EUR 17 million. At the end of
2012, HSL employed 361 people.

In 2012, HSL’s investments amounted to EUR 13.3 million, of
which EUR 10.9 million was related to procurements related to the
future ticketing and information system. 

In terms of HSL’s environmental goals, good progress was made in
reducing emissions from bus services. Carbon emissions from bus
services decreased by 1.6 percent, nitrogen oxides by 8.3 percent
and small particles by 14.4 percent.