New card readers enable contactless payment

At card readers, you can buy tickets using the value on your HSL card or with contactless payment.

How to use the card reader

First, select all the zones you will travel through. The zone buttons are split across two screens. Use the arrow button to go to the second screen.
Present your HSL card or contactless debit/credit card to the reader.

Card readers were replaced in 2024

We replaced all approximately 4,000 card readers on public transport vehicles and at stations in 2024. The replacement was part of an extensive project to overhaul the payment and tickets and to upgrade our backend systems.

The new card readers allow us to introduce new features and services. The previous readers, introduced in 2016, had reached the end of their life cycle.

The new readers also support contactless payment, allowing adult single tickets to be purchased by simply tapping a Visa or Mastercard on the reader.

Try the reader

You can use the test reader to see how to buy a ticket and where to show your HSL card on the reader.

Try the new reader

How to use the card reader

Using a day and season ticket or interchanging

Buying a single ticket with value on your HSL card

Buy a single ticket with value on your HSL card at the start of your journey, when you board a vehicle or before you take the escalator down to the metro platform.

1 Select the zones

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Use the arrow button to go to the second screen, if need be.

Use the arrow button to go to the second screen if the appropriate ticket is not on the first one.

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2 Pay with your HSL card

Here you can access the instructions for the old reader

Buying tickets for several passengers

You can buy tickets for one or several people traveling with you. You can use your adult HSL card to buy tickets for other adults, and a child card to buy tickets for children.

At the new readers, you can no longer buy several tickets one after another, e.g., first for yourself and then for others. You must buy all tickets in one go.

1 Select the zones

Valitse_vyöhykkeet.png

Use the arrow button to go to the second screen, if need be.

Use the arrow button to go to the second screen if the appropriate ticket is not on the first one.

Toinen_näyttö.png

2 Press the “Add passengers” button

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3 Select the number of tickets and press OK.

If you have a valid season or day ticket, buy tickets only for those who do not have one. Do not include yourself in the count.

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4 Pay with your HSL card

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Buying a zone extension ticket

If you have a valid season ticket, you can expand your travel area by buying a zone extension ticket. If you have a season ticket on your HSL card, you can only buy zone extension tickets using the card.

1 Select the zones

Include all the zones you will travel through, also the zones covered by your season ticket. Use the arrow button to go to the second screen if the ticket you want to purchase is not on the first screen. See the instructions for buying single tickets with value on the HSL card.

2 Pay with your HSL card

The price of the zone extension ticket will be charged to your card.

3 A screen with green borders indicates that your purchase was successful.

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Prices of zone extension tickets

Questions and answers about the new card reader

Why is the new reader’s screen smaller than the old reader’s screen?

Why are the zone buttons split across two views?

The new card reader’s screen is smaller than the old card reader’s screen. That is why the zone buttons are displayed in two views. This is necessary to make the buttons large enough to press without hitting other buttons.

On the old reader, the HSL app and ticket machines, the zone buttons are below each other, so customers are used to this layout. Therefore, the buttons were not positioned side by side on the new reader in “two columns”.

Based on user tests, dividing the buttons into two sets was found to be an effective way of displaying the ticket selections on a smaller screen.

How do I know in which zone I am when buying a ticket?

Why can’t I anymore buy multiple value tickets in a row?

With the new reader, you can no longer buy multiple tickets one after another. You can buy a ticket for a friend by tapping the + button to select the number of tickets before paying for the tickets with your HSL card.

Buying multiple tickets one after another has been a very little used way to buy tickets and has caused many erroneous purchases with people buyin new ticket for themselves just before their previous ticket has expired. In these cases, the new ticket has been valid for a very short time, for example 10 minutes, because the ticket is valid for the same time as the previously purchased, still valid ticket.

New card readers enable contactless payment

How to use the card reader

Card readers were replaced in 2024

Try the reader

Read more about the HSL card

How to use the card reader

Using a day and season ticket or interchanging

Buying a single ticket with value on your HSL card

1 Select the zones

Use the arrow button to go to the second screen, if need be.

2 Pay with your HSL card

Buying tickets for several passengers

1 Select the zones

Use the arrow button to go to the second screen, if need be.

2 Press the “Add passengers” button

3 Select the number of tickets and press OK.

4 Pay with your HSL card

Buying a zone extension ticket

1 Select the zones

2 Pay with your HSL card

3 A screen with green borders indicates that your purchase was successful.

Questions and answers about the new card reader

Why is the new reader’s screen smaller than the old reader’s screen?

Why are the zone buttons split across two views?

How do I know in which zone I am when buying a ticket?

Why can’t I anymore buy multiple value tickets in a row?

I use the HSL app to buy tickets. Will there be changes?