The Board is also asked to consider the possibility of reducing transport services and increasing membership fees in response to the slippage in demand caused by the epidemic.
Risto Rautava The Chairman of the Board of HSL (NCP) declined to comment on the details of the draft budget before setting the agenda, according to the newspaper.
However, the price increases were considered necessary decision-makers in the Finnish capital as early as August. The city councilors of Espoo and Vantaa acknowledged at the time that a modest price increase was possible.
Helsingin Sanomat emphasized on Thursday that the outlook for public transport providers has darkened considerably during the autumn and passenger numbers are 35–40 per cent lower than last year. HSL considered that demand could recover close to normal levels by the end of the year, as long as a second wave of coronavirus infections can be avoided.
This has not been the case when the number of new infections “increases significantly” this fall, according to the Department of Health and Welfare (THL).
“We need to use all the measures at our disposal because we are talking about the existence of the entire public transport system,” Rautava commented.
HSL expects this year’s budget deficit to increase to 140 million euros.
The Finnish government has allocated EUR 58 million to support public transport service providers in the Helsinki metropolitan area to endure the crisis caused by the coronavirus. On Thursday, HSL asked the government to provide financial support next year as well, noting that it expects passenger numbers to remain about 35 percent lower than usual in 2021.
The recovery is expected to continue slowly, with volumes expected to return to 75% of normal in 2022 and 85% of normal in 2023.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page