Järvenpää plans free bus month after Porvoo success

Järvenpää is planning to make its local bus services free for one month, potentially in November this year, Yle reports. The trial would aim to increase public transport use and familiarise residents with the city’s bus routes.

A similar trial in Porvoo last December increased passenger numbers by 255 per cent compared with December 2024. Passenger numbers remained higher than before in the month after the trial ended.

The proposal in Järvenpää emerged as the winning idea in last year’s Resurssiviisaampi Järvenpää competition, which sought suggestions from residents and city employees on how resources could be used more wisely and sustainably, according to the city’s director of urban development, Mikko Autere.

“This proposal for a free bus trial came first among the submissions, and we are now carrying out the winner’s wishes and objectives,” Autere said.

Järvenpää’s local bus network currently consists of four routes and one demand-responsive service bus. The city is not part of the HSL area.

The city’s local services have carried an average of just over 130,000 passengers a year in recent years, generating about 196,000 euros in annual ticket revenue. Järvenpää estimates that the free month would cost 20,000 euros, based on passenger numbers and ticket revenue during the same period in previous years.

Autere said the main aim was to increase passenger numbers and raise awareness of local public transport. He said the network provides connections to railway stations as well as for commuting and leisure travel.

The city’s urban development committee will discuss the proposal at its meeting next Tuesday.