HSL fare inspection fee hike faces opposition over youth debt fears

Helsinki Region Transport’s plan to raise its fare inspection fee to 130 euros is facing opposition from a majority of board members who responded to Yle. They warn that the increase could worsen problems for people already struggling financially.

HSL is seeking member municipalities’ views for next year’s financial plan and has proposed raising the fee by 30 euros from its current level.

Eleven of the 14 HSL board members responded to Yle’s questions. Six opposed the increase, while three, including board chair Mirita Saxberg of the National Coalition Party, supported it. Two members did not take a clear position.

Those opposing the increase said it could cause further problems for people who are already in difficult circumstances. Tuomas Suihkonen of the Left Alliance said the amount made little practical difference to people without money or income.

“For a person without means or income, it makes practically no difference whether the fee is 100, 200 or 1,000 euros if they have no way to pay it,” Suihkonen said.

HSL says the current fee is not enough

HSL management says the fee is intended to prevent passengers from travelling without a ticket and to ensure that as many passengers as possible pay for their journeys. According to HSL, the current 100-euro fee is not a sufficient deterrent.

Saxberg supports the increase, saying travelling without a ticket is a problem for HSL’s finances and ticket revenue.

Board member Jari Immonen of the Finns Party also considers the increase justified, but suggested that the fee could be reduced for minors. Mia Laiho of the National Coalition Party also supports reassessing the fee for young people if the increase goes ahead. She said this would require changes to legislation.

Saxberg said parents usually bear practical responsibility for children’s and young people’s fees and that families should primarily discuss the issue among themselves.

However, the fee is personal, and a minor’s guardian is not separately notified about the fee or any debt sent to enforcement.

HSL fails to collect many fees

HSL does not collect around 40 per cent of fare inspection fees even after enforcement proceedings. Only about a quarter are paid by the deadline, within one month.

HSL collected eight million euros in fare inspection fees in 2025, nearly twice as much as three years earlier. The increase was partly driven by the fee rising from 80 to 100 euros at the beginning of 2024.

HSL’s direct costs for inspection operations were around six million euros in 2025. The organisation says the operation is not intended to generate a profit.

Hundreds of minors sent to enforcement

Data obtained by Yle from the enforcement authorities show that hundreds of minors have been sent to enforcement proceedings because of unpaid fare inspection fees.

The fee can be enforced against young people aged 15 to 17, in the same way as certain fines issued through a fine order.

“The inspection fee must not be the beginning of a young person’s payment default record or cycle of enforcement,” said Sari Helin of the Social Democratic Party, an HSL board member.

If a young person’s guardian cannot help, any trusted adult can assist them in contacting the enforcement authorities and arranging to pay the fees in instalments.

The proposal will be discussed by the HSL board in the autumn. The views of the member municipalities may influence the board’s final position on whether the fee should be increased.

Some board members also said that ticket prices should not continue to rise, so that people could afford to use public transport.