The Jyväskylä region's Linkki public transport will operate in seven municipalities from 2024
Jyväskylä's regional public transport, or Linkki, has served Jyväskylä, Laukaa and Muurame since 2014. Next year, Link's operations will expand to the surrounding municipalities of Äänekoski, Hankasalmi and Petäjävete. Linkki has been serving Toivakka residents for several years now, and now the municipality officially joins Link's domain.
The transport between Äänekoski and Hankasalmi will still operate as a regional transport tendered by the ELY Center until the first half of 2024. Linkki tenders for the traffic and the green Linkki buses that will be used as rolling stock, but there are no plans to change the schedule, at least in the initial phase. We travel to Toivakka with the same green Linkki buses as before. Traffic in the direction of Petäjävesi is market-based public transport, with Matka Mäkelä Oy continuing as operator. There are no changes to the operation of Petäjävesi.
The link brings cheaper tickets and centralized information services
The clearest change in the service for the customer will take place at the beginning of summer traffic in 2024, when Waltti ticket products and payment zones will be introduced in the entire area. This means cheaper trips at least in the direction of Äänekoski, Hankasalmi and Petäjävesi. Toivaka's public transport has been traveling with inexpensive Waltti tickets for a few years now. Travel chains within the new public transport area will be possible in the future with a single ticket, while previously it was not possible to change to Linkki buses with a regional transport ticket. In the future, the same Waltti tickets will also be valid for market-based transport buses, which will also contribute to improving the level of service.
Public transport digital services will be available in the entire expanding Linkki area from summer 2024. Link's centralized customer service and comprehensive information channels lower the threshold for residents to use public transport, even in new areas. A much-needed change that will make traveling easier is when the former regional traffic information can be displayed in Link's schedule and route guide. Local payment and mobile tickets will also be used throughout the region in the near future.
Not only from the regional municipalities to the central city, but also the other way around Travel is possible. It brings more options for service locations to the residents of the entire area. For example, you can find natural attractions worth visiting as well as sports and cultural services in every municipality. At the movies or on your passport application trip, you can stop by public transport for a change, for example in Äänekoski, take a flea market trip to Hankasalmi, visit the old church in Petäjävesi or have a coffee in the relaxed environment of Toivaka!
The cooperation promotes most public transport MAL development goals
The background to the expansion of public transport cooperation is the MAL agreement on land use, housing and transport in the Jyväskylä urban area, which was concluded between the municipalities and the state. In the MAL contract period 2021–23, a report on the expansion of the public transport area was made in cooperation between the municipalities of the region and the authorities organizing public transport in the region. According to the report, there were prerequisites for expanding the jurisdiction of public transport. The cooperation was estimated to promote almost all the goals set for the development of public transport in the MAL agreement.
Based on the report, Hankasalmi, Petäjävesi, Toivakka and Äänekoski decided to merge into the Jyväskylä region's public transport authority area, and Jyväskylä, Laukaa and Muurame each accepted the merger. The city of Jyväskylä acts as the municipality responsible for organizing public transport, and the change in the law regarding the area of jurisdiction of the competent authority for road transport in the Jyväskylä region will enter into force on January 1.1.2024, XNUMX.
Jyväskylä, Laukaa, Muurame, Äänekoski, Petäjävesi, Toivakka and Hankasalmi have signed a mutual cooperation agreement, which has agreed on the goals, tasks, joint working groups, institution, financial monitoring, sharing of costs, monitoring of the contract and possible withdrawal from the jurisdiction .
Additional information:
Service manager Kari Ström, kari.strom[a]jyvaskyla.fi, 050 60943
News published, modified 11.12.2023 at 16:45