Helsinki Region Transport Authority in Finland

"CGI has a dedicated department for traffic-related services. They are enthusiastic, genuinely interested in public transport, and very good at developing new ideas. In Finland, commuting is a major part of people's lives, and ecological thinking is very important to many of them"

Jari Honkonen, Project Manager, Helsinki Region Multi-Modal passenger Information System

Helsinki maps greener routes with the help of CGI.

About Helsinki Region Transport Authority

Helsinki Region Transport Authority serves Finland's capital and the surrounding region. Created from a merger of city and regional traffic authorities in 2010, it plans travel services for some 1.2 million people, just under half living in the city.

The region overlooks the northern shores of the Baltic Sea – a land of forests and water, spread out across bays, peninsulas, lakes and islands. The inner city is crowded, with a high population density, but the region as a whole is thinly settled.

Its contrasting geographies mean Helsinki Region has many commuters. They get to work and back, by train, car, bus, metro, tram, ferry; some walk or cycle part of the way. Route-planning can be confusing with so many options.

What Helsinki needed

In 2000, Helsinki had only a traditional urban travel information service: a call-centre with access to the timetable databases for the main modes of public transport. It was costly and sometimes slow to deliver answers, especially when people were in a rush.

The explosive growth of the Internet convinced the city it needed an online alternative – cheaper to operate; providing a faster, more convenient, more coordinated service. It could also enable greener choices and sustainable mobility.

Happily, a solution lay on the doorstep. Students at Helsinki's University of Technology were working on an online travel-planning service, taking advantage of the new technologies. CGI spotted the potential and took over the service development.

The Challenge

The initial challenges for the new service, now known as the Helsinki Region Multi-Modal Passenger Information system, were to provide accuracy, speed, choice, and user-friendliness. The overriding aim was to create an outstanding service for citizens.

The system needed rapid access to geographic and timetable data from all forms of public transport, with the ability to juggle multiple data sets in a realistic way. It had to make sure connections weren't missed or didn't involve excessive waiting.

The back-end functionality had to be matched with a clear, simple user interface, allowing travelers to input starting points and destinations and quickly see the best options open to them, plus an indication of cost. This would require mapping software granular enough to tailor travel plans to the needs of the individual user.

Finland is exceptionally sensitive to the vital importance of environmental sustainability in maintaining its national quality of life. Helsinki therefore wanted a robust and flexible system, capable of extensive further development, which could add new functionality over time in support of wider sustainability objectives.

Travel modes available in the region also have very varied carbon footprints. Its trains run on hydro-electric power, producing zero operational carbon emissions; walking and cycling have the same advantages, and bring additional benefits to public health and well-being. So while the system was designed to empower individual choice, it was also seen, from the start, as an effective way to promote 'greener' policies, security, and save the department money.

Our answer

The evolution of Helsinki's online journey-planner is a story of continual fine-tuning and innovation. CGI focused first on simplicity of use and stable functionality, drawing on our proven expertise at building creative software development teams, advanced computer mapping, and efficient manipulation of complex data.

Available in five languages, it finds the three quickest routes for a given journey and estimates how long they will take, offering the best options using any travel combination. Walking routes were included at the start, to enable realistic transfer times and as a healthy, no-carbon alternative, with cycle routes added in 2007.

Each route brings up an onscreen carbon indicator, showing the rough emissions equivalent of making the same journey by car. The site has a map tool to report travel issues – a traffic-light out, a fallen tree – and alerts the right people automatically for a quick resolution. The system is accessible by mobile phone, using real-time information to enhance its online accuracy. "It's simple to use and provides a very reliable service," says Jari Honkonen, the service project manager across the Helsinki region. "Most people want an easy life, and it definitely makes life easier."

A success story

Helsinki's journey planner was an instant hit with the public. It has won prizes, including Best Service Award from MicroPC Magazine in 2002 and the "Helsinki of My Dreams" award, from Radio Helsinki and Sanoma's Nyt magazine in 2008. In 2009, it won a customer service award from Finland's Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and was rated the country's second most valued Internet brand.

The service is estimated to save ten times its running cost. An independent study reported in 2003 that 70 per cent of users found travelling easier with the planner; by 2009, nine-tenths rated it 'good' or 'very good'. Usage is up by half in three years.

Other Finnish cities have followed suit, all using CGI technology; their services are aggregated for national inter-city travel. When Helsinki's city traffic authority merged with its regional partner in 2010, the program was easy to recalibrate to cover two areas as one.

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