Social transport services still failing in northern Finland as customers wait for taxis

Social transport services arranged by Tervia Logistics for northern Finland’s welfare regions continue to face delays, with customers—particularly those needing short trips—left without rides, Yle reports.

Piano tuner Kaisa Pulkkinen, who relies on the service due to a visual impairment, confirms that while wait times have improved, rides still fail to arrive as scheduled. “I was recently in Evijärvi tuning a piano and had to wait outside for a long time,” she said. “I can’t stay at clients’ homes waiting for a ride.”

Jyrki Oosi, director of North Finland Taxi Entrepreneurs, acknowledges some progress but calls it insufficient. “On the old school grading scale, the service is between a five and a six,” he said, noting that call response times and driver reimbursements have improved, but reliability remains an issue.

Short trips are most affected, as Tervia does not compensate drivers for traveling to pick up passengers—only for the distance with a passenger onboard. This discourages drivers from accepting short-distance requests, especially in rural areas with few operators.

Some customers have abandoned the service entirely after repeated failures. “Many have given up trying to book the rides they’re legally entitled to,” Oosi said.

Tervia Logistics, owned by the welfare regions of Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland, and North Ostrobothnia, manages the legally mandated transport services. The company claims improvements, stating most trips now proceed as planned.

To cut costs, Tervia combines rides, with multiple passengers sharing taxis. Some drivers work under daily contracts, paid by the hour rather than per kilometer. However, critics argue this leads to unpredictable scheduling, with customers often left waiting.

Sami Prittinen, an entrepreneur with Kokkola Service Taxis, said: “After a customer books, Tervia rearranges times without consulting them. You can’t trust the ride will come when ordered.”

Oosi insists only a new competitive bidding process can resolve the issues. Current contracts in the Pohtee region run until autumn 2027, while Lapland plans a new tender. Kainuu and Central Ostrobothnia recently completed theirs, but Oosi said flawed terms led to immediate shortages after many drivers opted out.

Tervia maintains the service has improved overall.