Photo: Go Now!
Vedia taxi and go now! chosen for traffic pilot project in Aviapolis
The Aviapolis area, situated around Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is the strongest growing business area and employment centre in the Helsinki region. To improve the accessibility and sustainable mobility of the area, the City of Vantaa is piloting two new mobility service solutions in Aviapolis. The Vedia taxi sharing service and the go now! car sharing service started operating in the Aviapolis area in September.
Vedia taxi takes you from the station to the workplace for half price or less
You can now transfer from the station to the workplace and back by cab, using the Vedia shared taxi service. The idea is simple: a mobile application helps people heading in the same direction pool together, and the share paid by each passenger is reduced by as much as 60%. The route from Aviapolis station to, say, the Äyritie employment area amounts to some 3.40 euros per person if the cab carries four passengers. The Vedia taxi mobile application automatically charges each passenger’s fee to their credit card.
– Even if you don’t make daily use of Vedia taxi, it’s still an ideal service during a cold spell or on a sleety day in November, explains Lauri Lankinen, CEO of the Finnish company Vediafi.
– What’s more, the application includes a ride tracker, so when you’re ready to leave work, you can simply check your phone to see when a suitable group of people will be heading towards the station.
Go now! city cars get you smoothly to meetings
Go now! is a pay-per-minute shared city car service, which is now stationed also in the Aviapolis area. Available 24/7 through its mobile application, the service offers eco-efficient hybrid cars in the Helsinki and Vantaa service areas. Users need not worry about fuel and parking expenses, since the per-minute-fee includes all driving-related costs. The mobile application shows the location of free cars and provides easy access to the vehicles.
– A go now! car is an excellent addition to public transport, says Matti Hänninen, managing director of 24 Rental Network Oy.
– For example, you can pick up a car outside your workplace in Aviapolis and drive it to a meeting in Helsinki. The trip will cost you around 20 euros. Transfers within Vantaa cost a few euros and up, and as many as five people can travel in the car for the same price.
Vedia taxi and go now! work on Android and iOS devices.
Minister Berner: Open-minded cooperation enables novel mobility services
According to Anne Berner, the Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications, ease of use, flexibility and comprehensive cooperation are the basic requirements for new mobility services.
– Aviapolis and its cooperation partners serve as an excellent example of how to meet users’ needs through open-minded cooperation with the private sector and public transport providers, she notes.
Legislation also needs to be amended.
– Our laws must answer the needs of consumers and service providers. The purpose of the Transport Code initiative is to create an operating environment in which technology, fleets and isolated transport options no longer pose unnecessary obstacles to users or companies.
HSL involved in the project
The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) strives to reach new users for public transport.
– We feel positive about commercial mobility services that support the HSL trunk network and traffic system, in addition to solving the last mile problem, explains Kimmo Sinisalo, contract manager at HSL.
Mobility services providers can sign a partnership agreement with HSL to make their services part of its customer programme, which is promoted in HSL’s own channels and through advertising.
Helsinki Business Hub supports piloting opportunities in the region
– We joined forces last year with the City of Vantaa to find different options for mobility services in the area, says Tommi Rimpiläinen, senior business advisor at Helsinki Business Hub, the regional development agency for the capital area.
– Our aim is to support the cities of the Helsinki region in developing the smart mobility solutions, and to help companies to find piloting opportunities in the region. The Vantaa Aviapolis area is incredibly interesting in this context since it’s growing at such a rapid pace,” remarks.
