Helsinki City Theatre hopes for free trips for school groups

The Helsinki City Theatre is concerned about the policy proposed to Helsinki Region Transport that journeys made during the school day would be subject to a fee.

As part of its mission defined by the city’s residents, the Helsinki City Theatre offers the city’s schoolchildren performances, workshops and behind-the-scenes tours, among other things, during the school day. Schoolchildren come to the theatre from all over the city on HSL trains, buses, trams and ferries free of charge. The City Group’s ownership strategy expects us to do even more of this.

At the moment, HSL does not charge a fee for trips made by school groups in the municipalities in its area on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the school year. At many other times, school classes can’t move around, and that’s exactly the time when the means of transport are otherwise spacious.

This makes it possible for schoolchildren to come to the Helsinki City Theatre – as well as other theatres, museums, concerts and events. The city has considered it important that children and young people get to know their city and its cultural offerings. Because it is not allowed to collect money from the pupils’ families, the children of the suburban schools cannot access the cultural services in the city centre by any other means.

It has now been proposed that these free trips for school groups be abandoned. Then it would be very difficult for the City Theatre to fulfil its mission in this regard. The ticket revenue received by Helsinki Region Transport would not increase, but schoolchildren would stay in school.

Our mission is to offer schoolchildren interesting, educational and invigorating activities in the theatre. HSL’s task is to bring them there.

HSL’s Executive Board will meet on Tuesday 1 November. On behalf of the Helsinki Theatre Foundation, which manages the City Theatre, I hope that free public transport for school groups will remain unchanged.

Mike Pohjola
Chair of the Helsinki Theatre Foundation

For more information, please contact: Mike Pohjola, 050 523 8399, mikepohjola@gmail.com.