Despite the warm weather, for the first time ever, more than a million trips were made in OSL traffic in both September and October in a single calendar month. In September 2025, there were 1,048,462 trips. This is an increase of 13.6 percent compared to September 2024. In October 2025, there were 1,054,639 trips, representing a 5.8 percent increase compared to October 2024. Usually, the number of trips rises in the autumn only after the weather turns colder.
The year 2025 is set to be the largest in OSL’s history in terms of the number of trips. Travel has increased both in the surrounding municipalities and in the city of Oulu. Comparing the trip numbers from January to October 2025 to the same period last year, travel has increased by 16 percent in Ii, 17 percent in Kempele, 22 percent in Liminka, 27 percent in Lumijoki, 12 percent in Muhos, seven percent in Oulu, and four percent in Tyrnävä.
During the coronavirus pandemic, travel plummeted. Since then, travel on OSL routes has surpassed the record year of 2019, and the growth does not seem to be slowing down.
The image shows travel volumes from 2019 to 2024 as a bar chart.
The largest surge in OSL traffic has occurred after the transition to a zoneless fixed price system. From January 1 to October 30, 2025, travel has increased by an average of 9.1 percent compared to the same period the previous year. The growth in travel has only accelerated towards the end of the year, especially on longer public transport journeys. Growth has not been as significant on shorter public transport trips.
The continuous increase in public transport trip numbers in the OSL area has been influenced by the introduction of new payment methods and improvements in service levels. Efforts have been made to make the use of public transport as easy as possible. The continuation of remote work and the employment situation have also had a positive impact. Some families have given up a second car.