Diesel costs add one million euros to Finnish bus firm’s bill
Thursday 1st October 2026 on 08:01 in
Finland
A bus company in Central Ostrobothnia will spend about one million euros more on diesel this year than last year, Yle reports, as rising fuel costs put pressure on bus operators, especially in rural areas.
“The situation is really challenging,” said Jonas Dahl, chief executive of Dahl Linjaliikenne. The company runs local services in Kokkola, regional routes and charter trips.
The bus industry’s costs have risen 10 per cent this year above the normal rate of inflation, said Mika Mäkilä, chief executive of the bus operators’ association. He said there was no sign of quick relief from high fuel prices.
Kirsi Aho, who runs the family-owned Linja-autoliikenne O. A. Aho in Veteli, said contracts had been tendered when fuel was cheaper, while fares had stayed the same. The company operates regional and school services in the Perhonjoki Valley, as well as charter trips.
Aho said the higher costs were hitting rural and school bus services particularly hard because many contracts were agreed before last summer. She said fuel surcharges were easier to pass on in freight transport than in bus services. Rural buses and longer express routes, which run on diesel, were bearing the greatest impact, she added.
Mäkilä said the rapid shift to electric buses in cities was changing the industry. In the Helsinki region, 60 per cent of HSL services are already operated with electric buses. The combination of rising diesel prices and declining passenger numbers elsewhere was difficult, he said, warning that the number of bus companies would fall.
Many services supported by municipalities and the state are covered by long-term contracts, often with a cap on ticket prices. State contracts mainly cover services in sparsely populated areas and school transport. While charter trips are priced to reflect fuel costs, prices for scheduled services are tied to longer agreements.
The bus operators’ association is calling for temporary fuel support and adequate funding for public transport from the state and municipalities. Dahl said a short-term measure could be for the state to temporarily change the intervals for index adjustments in its contracts.