A student priced annual ticket is needed
The Student Union of Tampere University (TREY) and the Student Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko) have been advocating for a student-priced annual ticket for several years. The implementation of a student-priced annual ticket was included in the 2025 Tampere Mayoral Program. To promote the implementation of the student-priced annual ticket and to provide the city with information on students’ use of Nysse, we conducted a survey among TREY and Tamko in March 2026. All students of the higher education community were able to answer with their education institution credentials and in total the survey collected 1646 responses. Thank you all!
The clear message from students is that public transportation must be affordable and accessible. The introduction of a student-discounted annual ticket is seen as a significant step in this direction. A significant portion of the students who responded to the survey -especially those who have exceeded the age limit for the youth pass (24 years old) – are forced to cut back on public transportation use due to their financial situation. Based on the responses, this is a significant problem in terms of the accessibility and equity of public transportation.
Our proposed price for the student-discounted annual ticket is 335 euros. This price proposal is based on the price difference between the youth discounted and student-discounted monthly passes, which is 4,6 %. In other words, the proposed price of the annual pass is 4,6 % higher than the youth pass price, just as with the monthly pass. 87 % of survey respondents would also be willing to pay up to this price.
Students under the age of 25 can purchase a youth annual ticket, which costs 320 euros. Students older than this are not eligible for discounted annual tickets; instead, they can purchase an adult annual ticket for 460 euros. Currently, students are only offered a monthly ticket costing 48 euros. Using a student-priced monthly ticket year-round costs 576 euros, which is 116 euros more than the price of an adult annual ticket. The survey reveals that students over the age of 24, in particular, are cutting back on public transportation. The price of the adult annual ticket is indeed too high for the majority of students in Pirkanmaa.
The current price of the youth ticket is based on age rather than actual ability to pay. As a result, it is poorly targeted at students. 54,3 % of students in Pirkanmaa are over 25 years old (source: Vipunen). In other words, less than half of students in Pirkanmaa are eligible for the youth discount. The 24-year-old cutoff does not magically improve students’ livelihoods; rather, we continue to live below the poverty line, regardless of our age. An affordable annual ticket available to all students would better reflect students’ financial situations and would not place students in unequal positions based on age.
An annual public transportation ticket is the most affordable way to travel on Tampere’s public transportation system. Currently, a student over the age of 25 would save 116 euros a year by using a standard-price annual ticket compared to the cost of a 12-month student-price monthly ticket. A standard-price annual ticket costs 460 euros, and a student-priced monthly ticket for 12 months costs 576 euros. An annual ticket is a significant one-time expense, even though it ends up being cheaper in the long run. A student-priced annual ticket would allow more students to make a larger one-time purchase and save money on a very tight budget.
The survey also identified other development needs that were raised, such as streamlining the student identification process when purchasing a Nysse ticket. Issues related to the identification method were considered almost entirely secondary compared to the price of public transportation. The current identification method is considered good and sufficient for implementing the student annual ticket.
More details on the survey results
The majority of survey respondents (41%) use an annual ticket. However, usage rates vary greatly across different age groups. Among those under 25, 51 % use an annual pass, while only 23% of those over 25 do. Nearly half (47 %) of annual ticket users over 25 have considered switching to monthly or single-ride tickets to save money. A significantly smaller proportion of young annual ticket holders – just under a third of respondents (32 %) – have considered this. This suggests that the sharp decline in annual ticket usage can be attributed to the lack of discounted fare categories for those over 25 and financial considerations. Open-ended responses revealed that many would use an annual ticket if it were financially possible. One respondent wrote in an open-ended response that they have to “assess on a monthly basis, based on the number of school days, whether it makes sense to buy a monthly pass or individual tickets.” Another respondent said they had withdrawn their entire student loan in one sum in the fall so they could afford an adult annual ticket. There is thus high demand for annual tickets among students, but they simply cannot afford them.
28 % of respondents use a monthly ticket. There is again a difference in usage rates between different age groups. Among those over 25, 43 % use a monthly ticket, while only 21 % of those under 25 do so. The majority (69 %) of respondents who use a monthly ticket sometimes choose not to purchase one due to the price. Among students over 25 who use a monthly ticket for 1–9 months a year, as many as 86 % occasionally choose not to purchase a monthly ticket because of the price. So student monthly tickets are primarily used by students over 25 years of age, as they are no longer eligible for youth-priced tickets. For example, one respondent explained in the open-ended responses that they used an annual ticket “when they were young,” but had to switch to a monthly ticket as they got older to save money. The respondent continued that they significantly reduced their use of public transportation and, for example, commuting between different campuses, because using a student-priced monthly ticket throughout the year becomes too expensive.
28 % of respondents use single-ride tickets. Among those under 25, 27 % use single-ride tickets, while 32 % of those over 25 do so. The openended responses from those over 25 tell the same story as those from monthly ticket users: they avoid using public transportation as much as possible because it is too expensive. Many respondents previously used an annual ticketr but switched to single-use tickets after turning 25 to save money. Many respondents also pointed out that cheaper public transportation for students would make it possible to live elsewhere than within walking distance of campus.
Issues related to ticket authentication methods are considered secondary compared to ticket prices themselves: nearly all (97 %) of the survey respondents who use student tickets consider the current authentication method sufficient for implementing the student-priced annual ticket. Currently, a student-priced monthly ticket is obtained by verifying student status. Student verification takes place in Nysse Mobile via the Waltti store. Waltti directs students to Opintopolku, where they retrieve a study entitlement link. Nysse Mobile accepts the verification immediately, and the student ticket can be purchased right away. This type of verification is widely used in other student services across the country, such as student ID cards and public services. One respondent wrote in the open-ended comments that they would even be willing to physically go to a Nysse service point to get a cheaper ticket.