There are regional differences in the availability and price level of taxi services. The booking of taxi journeys via an app has curbed the rise in prices. The number of taxi companies has started to increase again, with strongest growth in the Uusimaa region.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom regularly monitors the taxi market by gathering information from taxi operators and brokering and dispatch services. The information is used to provide situational pictures of the taxi market, the latest of which has now been published.
Longer waiting times in sparsely populated areas
The availability of taxis has been relatively stable in the past few years, but regional differences remain considerable. “Taxi services are largely concentrated in cities, which has led to longer waiting times for taxis in more sparsely populated areas, in particular,” says Aleksi Paimander.
Waiting times for taxi journeys undertaken in 2023 were longer than before. This was the case particularly in sparsely populated areas where customers on average had to wait for a taxi for a few minutes longer than before. In urban areas, the taxi arrived on average in 8 minutes. In sparsely populated areas, the average waiting time was approximately 16 minutes and waiting times varied more than in urban areas. The change in sparsely populated areas has affected service times particularly from Monday to Friday. While previously more than 75 per cent of taxis arrived in 15 minutes during weekdays and 65 per cent during weekends, nowadays only approximately 60 per cent of taxis arrive in 15 minutes.
Number of taxi companies increasing, growth strongest in Uusimaa
After the taxi legislation reform in 2018, the number of taxi companies increased rapidly to more than 12,000 but then decreased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the regulatory changes made in 2021. Since 2022, the number of companies has increased again, and in 2024 there are more than 10,000 taxi companies operating in Finland. Growth has been strongest in Uusimaa, which is home to almost a half of all taxi companies in the country, but numbers are on the rise in other regions as well.
Prices falling in Uusimaa and Southwest Finland, bookings cheapest via an app
The prices of taxi journeys have remained at the level of summer 2018, taking into account changes in purchasing power. However, price trends vary from one region to another.
“The decrease in prices in Uusimaa compensates for price developments elsewhere in Finland. Now we also see prices falling in Southwest Finland,” says Paimander. From 2018 to 2024, the average price of taxi journeys has decreased by 20 per cent in Uusimaa and by 7 per cent in Southwest Finland while prices have increased by 5 to 30 per cent elsewhere in mainland Finland.
The increase in the number of journeys booked via an app has curbed price growth. “The changes in average prices have been smaller in areas where booking apps are popular,” says Paimander. Until 2023, the prices of journeys ordered via an app were lower, in particular, when the distance travelled was less than 5 kilometres, but these days prices are lower also on longer journeys from 10 to 25 kilometres. For example, in June 2024 the price of a 10-kilometre taxi journey booked via an app ranged from 13 to 20 euros while the typical price with other booking methods was 30 to 35 euros.