Liikenne- ja viestintäministeriö

Charges and licences

1. General information

Public transport pricing is not regulated, except for the maximum charges for taxi services that are laid down annually by Government decree. However, public transport charges may be defined by the part or parties purchasing transport services, for example in the Helsinki region by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council and the individual municipalities concerned.

Transport services by bus, coach, taxi or ambulance are subject to a licence granted by the competent authorities. The licence requirements are provided in the legislation on taxis and passenger transport.

2. Licences for bus and coach transport

A public transport licence entitles the holder to operate charter services as well as scheduled services purchased by a municipal or other transport authority. Applications for such a licence are submitted to the local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. A prerequisite for obtaining a public transport licence is completion of a transport operator training course.

Scheduled services within a province are subject to a route or service-specific licence from the relevant Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. There are 28 cities and towns that act as licence authorities for the scheduled transport services within their boundaries. Licences for express bus and coach services provided across provincial borders are granted by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Southern Finland.

If a transport operator provides a service that travels to another EU country or to Norway, the operator must also have a valid EU licence. The EU licence can be applied for at the same time as the public transport licence and is granted by the local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

Transport documents for charter bus services, control documents, and licences for transport to Russia are granted by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi).

Licences for international scheduled services are granted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. However, if a licence is applied for a member state of the European Union or Economic Area, the licence is granted by a Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

3. Licences for taxi services

Licences for taxi services are granted by the local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. The criteria for being granted a licence are laid down in the Taxi Act.

The maximum prices charged from customers of taxi services are confirmed annually in a Government Decree. This Decree is also known as the Taxi Charges Decree.

From the beginning of 2010, new taxi drivers have to complete compulsory training to obtain a permit to drive. The new training requirements focus on road safety and improving interaction needed in customer service.

New drivers applying for a taxi-driver's licence need to have completed at least 30 hours of training. The taxi-driver's licence is valid for five years at a time. To renew the licence, the taxi driver must take part in further training lasting at least one day. This requirement applies to all taxi drivers. The current professional taxi-driver's licences must be replaced by the new ones within five years.

Licence holders for taxi services must have the appropriate professional skill and be able to meet their financial obligations. The maximum number of taxi licences per municipality is confirmed on a yearly basis. The licences are granted by the applicant's local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (the ELY Centre). One of the prerequisites for obtaining a taxi licence is completion of a transport operator training course for taxi services.

4. Licences for patient transport services

A licence for patient transport services is granted by the Regional State Administrative Agency. The criteria for granting a licence are laid down in the Act on Private Health Care Services. For more information on patient transport services, contact the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

5. Transport permits in international road transport

The Finnish Customs is responsible for granting bilateral goods transport permits and transit permits for international traffic passing through Finland, for example permits for goods traffic between Finland and Russia.
Other transport permits, such as ECMT licences, and permits for transport from third countries are granted by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (trafi). It also issues any oversize and overweight permits needed by Russian or other CIS transportation companies for entry to Finland.

6. Licences for rail transport

A transport undertaking may enter the freight transport market if it receives a safety certificate from the Finnish Transport Safety Agency and concludes an agreement with the Finnish Transport Agency on the use of rail capacity. VR Group Ltd has been granted sole rights to carry passengers by rail in Finland. The agreement on using the rail capacity associated with the sole rights to carrying passengers will be valid until the end of 2019.

7. Training for transport operators

A prerequisite for obtaining a public transport licence or a taxi licence is completion of a transport operator training course. This training is supervised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

A four-week goods transport operator course is a prerequisite for obtaining an EU licence for professional goods transport services. Provisions on the prerequisites for an operating licence are laid down in the legislation on commercial freight transport by road.