The number of public transport passengers increased in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area in 2022
During 2022, the number of public transport passengers grew from the previous year by one quarter in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. In the last quarter of 2022, the number of passengers in public transport increased to the highest level it has been at since the beginning of 2020. In October–December, the number of public transport passengers increased by 24 per cent in Espoo and Kauniainen, by 18 per cent in Vantaa and by 17 per cent in Helsinki compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the use of public transport
The metro and trams started operating less frequently on 18 March 2020 due to COVID-19. Since mid-March 2020, the number of public transport passengers in the region declined to under half of the normal daily level in all modes of public transport. In 2021, passenger volumes were still 40 per cent lower and in 2022 slightly more than a 25 per cent lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public transport links within Helsinki include buses, the metro, trams and the Suomenlinna ferry. The figures for Espoo include buses and the metro, and for Vantaa only bus traffic.