In July 2018, new legislation that affects taxi services came into effect in Finland. Whereas before taxi prices and pick-up points were fixed, now they can vary.
When choosing a taxi at Helsinki Airport nowadays, the price of a taxi ride can vary depending on time of day, taxi company and booking method. However, the main taxi partners have agreed to a maximum rate specified by Finavia, so passengers can still get a reasonably priced ride to their destination.
Here’s how the new lane system works:
4 + 1 lanes instead of one
For many years, there was a single queue at the airport that required all passengers to wait in the same place. “In 2017, we had somewhere between 917,000 and 918,000 taxi rides taken from that one lane.”
Now, there are five different queues. “We have four lanes, plus one for taxis that are pre-booked via mobile apps,” explains Jukka Isomäki, Director at Finavia.
Lanes 1–3: Main taxi companies
Finavia chose three main taxi service providers, which now each have a dedicated lane at Helsinki Airport – Lähitaksi at Lane 1, Taksi Helsinki at Lane 2, and Vantaan Taksi at Lane 3. These three lanes are located closest to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
You can check the prices for rides on information screens next to each lane. These taxi companies have also agreed to comply with a maximum rate specified in Finavia’s competitive tendering, so prices between the three first lanes should not vary too much.
Lane 4: Any taxi operator
In addition, there is a “free” fourth lane, which can be used by any private taxi service. On the fourth lane, prices are not fixed, so the customer agrees on the price separately.
As the limit on the amount of available licences has been lifted, and the definition of a taxi is now much looser, including any road-worthy vehicle with at least three wheels.
“These cars are free to use the fourth lane, but they are still official taxis according to Finnish law,” says Isomäki.
Lane 5: Pre-booked via mobile
The fifth “lane” at the airport isn’t really a lane – it’s a waiting area reserved for pre-booked taxis via mobile apps.
“For certain taxi companies, like Uber, where it’s a specific car that you’re booking through an app, those cars need to go to this pre-booked taxi area.”
Temporary changes coming
Some changes have been made to the taxi rank due to construction work at the airport. In April 2019, the taxi rank will be temporarily moved to the ground floor, a level deeper than its current location at the front of Terminal 2. This will affect traffic flowing through the airport.
Isomäki explains the changes. “The taxi traffic will move to the ground floor, and the drop-off area will change, although there will still be the opportunity for taxis and private cars to drop people off by Terminal 2. Bus traffic will be moved to the other side, by the Scandic Hotel, but there will be no changes for train passengers. For cars, there are still the P3, P4 and P5 parking areas, in which spaces can be pre-booked.”
Read more about the changes in taxi-operations at Helsinki Airport.
