The Sipoonkorpi Hop-On Hop-Off bus will run again at summer weekends between 18 May and 13 October 2024. The route of the bus will otherwise be the same as in 2023, but instead of the Mellunmäki metro station, the last stop in Helsinki will be the Itäkeskus metro station. In addition, the bus stops in Helsinki will include the Puotila metro station and Fallbacka.
The bus service will make Sipoonkorpi National Park easily accessible and encourage visitors to use public transport. The bus service will also improve the parking situation near the national park.
The route is a joint effort by three municipalities
The Hop-On Hop-Off bus route will run from Tikkurila through the Koivukylä station and Kuusijärvi to Nikkilä, Sipoo. From there, the bus will travel through Sipoo Old Church, Sipoonjoki smoke sauna and Korvenportti to the Itäkeskus metro station. The final stops of the route are Tikkurila, Nikkilä and Mellunmäki. This summer, the route will have 17 stops whereas last year there were only 15.
– The route has been renewed and the service will be available later into the autumn. We hope that the new stops will make more and more people come to Sipoonkorpi National Park to enjoy nature and grill at the campfire sites. There are also many other destinations along the route that can be easily explored by the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, says Katri Roivainen, Head of Economic Development at Sipoo.
The bus service is a joint effort of the municipality of Sipoo and the cities of Vantaa and Helsinki.
– We want to help further improve the accessibility of Sipoonkorpi National Park. Having the final stop of the bus route in Itäkeskus in the vicinity of the metro station provides Helsinki residents and tourists with an easy and ecological connection to the national park, says Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director at the City of Helsinki.
Five-euro day ticket to the national park
Ventoniemi Oy won the competitive tendering for the route, and the route will no longer be driven using a low-floor bus like it was in 2022–2023. The price of a day ticket is EUR 5, and a one-way single ticket costs EUR 3. Children under the age of 7 travel for free. Tickets are bought from the driver and paid with either cash or card. Having the exact change is preferred so that people can get on the bus as smoothly as possible.
HSL bus to also continue running
The HSL bus line 712 will continue its operations this year. During the summer season, from 4 May to 29 October 2024, the bus will run every hour at the weekends between Tikkurila and Kuusijärvi. The HSL bus line will run to Kuusijärvi via Hakunila A new terminus will be introduced at the Kuusijärvi car park. The Laurintie and Vanha Porvoontie route section will no longer be included in the route. Regular HSL tickets are accepted as tickets.
– Next summer, Vantaa residents will be able to reach the Kuusijärvi beach ecologically using two bus connections. When you use a bus to reach your destination, especially at the weekend, there will be no problems with parking, says Anniina Laitala, who coordinates the Kuusijärvi site.
The route will soon be added to the HSL Journey Planner.