A bus passenger asks: how much luggage can I take with me for free, can I get a discount and on what terms, and can I cancel the ticket if plans change. These decide 50 points out of a hundred.
pohjolanmatka.fi · Pohjolan Matka is a trading name of Pohjolan Turistiauto Oy (business ID (Y-tunnus) 0179285-5). An operator originating from Iisalmi, with sites including Kuopio. Coach and long-distance services as well as charter trips; tickets via the Matkahuolto journey planner.
68.0SCORE
Free baggage100
Discount groups100
Ticket cancellation0
Basic metrics · 64.0
Digital quality58
Transparency79
Reachability30
AI quality score83
+ The Tickets and prices page itemises discounts (25% for children, young people, students, pensioners) and cash price tables as downloadable files
Basic metrics: 64.0, rank 4 · ▲ 3 places
– Ticket cancellation: Cancellation of a scheduled-service ticket is not described on the tickets and prices page or in the bus passenger's ABC.
matkahuolto.fi · Oy Matkahuolto Ab (business ID (Y-tunnus) 0111393-9), a bus-sector company founded in 1933. Centralised ticket sales channel for long-distance traffic (online shop and Matkat app) for hundreds of operators in the ExpressBus network, plus parcel services. Measured as a ticketing and timetable channel, not as an operator itself.
60.7SCORE
Free baggage40
Discount groups60
Ticket cancellation100
Basic metrics · 59.0
Digital quality75
Transparency53
Reachability25
AI quality score78
+ Centralised timetable search and most popular routes shown for operators nationwide
flixbus.fi · FlixBus Finland Oy (business ID (Y-tunnus) 3588598-8, Helsinki), a subsidiary of the German Flix SE (Munich). Platform model: Flix is responsible for ticket sales, routes and the brand, while independent operators run the buses. In Finland mainly international routes and some domestic trunk connections.
59.4SCORE
Free baggage100
Discount groups0
Ticket cancellation0
Basic metrics · 74.8
Digital quality66
Transparency100
Reachability40
AI quality score83
+ Own journey search and real-time journey tracking, the whole purchase online or in the FlixBus app
Basic metrics: 74.8, rank 1 · ▼ 2 places
– Discount groups: Discount groups and percentages are not stated in the transport terms, on the luggage page or on the front page.
lansilinjat.fi · Länsilinjat Oy (business ID (Y-tunnus) 0944671-1, Tampere), a Tampere-based transport operator. Express, i.e. long-distance, services as well as local and charter services; tickets and timetables via Matkahuolto.
46.2SCORE
Free baggage0
Discount groups60
Ticket cancellation40
Basic metrics · 64.5
Digital quality67
Transparency62
Reachability60
AI quality score69
+ Long-distance timetables downloadable by season and the discount structure of ticket types itemised (children, youth, student, pensioner)
Basic metrics: 64.5, rank 3 · ▼ 1 place
– Free baggage: The free baggage allowance is not stated on the price or terms page.
savonlinja.fi · Savonlinja Oy (business ID (Y-tunnus) 0165069-7), a family-owned eastern Finnish transport operator (Mikkeli). Long-distance services in the ExpressBus network; tickets via Matkahuolto and OnniBus. Cooperation with OnniBus connects routes in eastern and western Finland.
42.5SCORE
Free baggage0
Discount groups60
Ticket cancellation0
Basic metrics · 68.2
Digital quality69
Transparency68
Reachability60
AI quality score75
+ Long-distance routes and timetables shown, plus an embedded Matkahuolto journey planner; route network expanding on 1 June 2026 listed
Basic metrics: 68.2, rank 2 · ▼ 3 places
– Free baggage: A free baggage allowance is not stated on the home page, the ticket page or the pages in the sitemap.
onnibus.com · OnniBus.com Oy (business ID (Y-tunnus) 2559463-4), a budget bus chain founded in Tampere in 2012. Part of the Koiviston Auto group (owned by private equity investor CapMan) since 2018. Finland's most extensive long-distance route network and its own online ticket shop.
30.5SCORE
Free baggage0
Discount groups0
Ticket cancellation0
Basic metrics · 61.0
Digital quality64
Transparency76
Reachability32
AI quality score60
+ Finland's widest long-distance route network and best-known own online ticket shop
Basic metrics: 61.0, rank 5 · ▼ 1 place
– Free baggage: The baggage page returned 404, and the FAQ and terms pages were behind Cloudflare's bot check, which was not bypassed.
QUESTIONHow much luggage can I take with me without an extra charge?
Whether the company states on its own site the free baggage allowance and its size or weight.
Quantity and size or weight stated = 100 points, varies by carrier and no figure given = 40, not stated = 0.
22 p
Discount groups
QUESTIONDoes a child, student or pensioner get a discount, and how much?
Whether the company names discount groups and states the size of the discount.
Groups and percentage stated = 100 points, groups stated but not the percentage = 60, no discounts = 0.
14 p
Ticket cancellation
QUESTIONCan I cancel a ticket bought online if my plans change?
Whether the company states in its terms if a purchased ticket can be cancelled and by when.
Cancellation possible and deadline stated = 100 points, only in cases of error or for a justified reason = 40, no cancellation = 0.
14 p
Basic metrics
Digital quality, transparency, reachability and AI quality score
Basic metrics × 0.5
50 p
Notes
The comparison includes six long-distance bus companies or ticket sellers. Ticket prices depend on the route and time, and a fixed price cannot be compared, so the comparison is based on the terms a traveller needs before buying.
Information that could not be found on the company's own terms and price pages is marked as missing and receives 0 points. OnniBus's terms and FAQ pages are behind bot protection, so they were not read and the protection was not circumvented.
Savonlinja and Länsilinjat sell long-distance tickets mainly through Matkahuolto, and Matkahuolto is a ticket sales platform, not a bus company. It is included because the buyer encounters its terms as often as those of the companies themselves.
About this comparison
We scored 6 long-distance bus companies on 20 metrics. The key question: are routes, prices and cancellation terms visible before purchase, and can a ticket be bought online without phoning?
The price and terms of a long-distance bus trip vary a great deal depending on whether you buy the ticket in advance online or on the bus. In this guide we have collected what a traveller should check before booking a seat, and how long-distance transport in Finland is divided among the different operators.
What transparency means in this category
Routes and timetables publicly searchable without logging in (20), ticket prices or pricing principle shown before purchase (18), ticket can be bought online or in an app without phoning (15), cancellation and change terms shown (refund, change fee) (15), travel comfort described (wifi, toilet, sockets, seat selection) (12), accessibility and luggage instructions stated (10), business ID (Y-tunnus) shown (10)
How to read the comparison correctly: Half of the points come from buyer's questions, i.e. things the buyer finds out before deciding. The other half measures how openly the company publishes its prices, terms and contact details. Clear differences in points indicate a genuine difference: one tells you the price immediately, another only after logging in. Close scores should not be read as a ranking order, because every measurement has a margin of variation. The measurement accuracy and the full calculation formula are open in the methodology.
Customer experience is brought into the assessment separately. We also collect customer feedback and customer experiences about companies through separate surveys. The survey results will be added to the overall assessment later.
Who is on the list? Long-distance transport in Finland is concentrated: OnniBus (part of Koiviston Auto) dominates most of the market, FlixBus operates on a platform model and the rest are regional operators whose tickets are sold mainly through Matkahuolto. The list has the booking and operating brands most important to the consumer that have their own live website. Matkahuolto is included as a centralised ticket sales and timetable channel, not as an operator in its own right.
What do we measure? The comparison concerns the site's transparency for the traveller: whether routes and timetables, prices, cancellation and change terms, travel comfort and accessibility are visible before purchase. We do not measure which company is cheapest or fastest, but how openly it states its terms in advance.
Bot blocking is a measurement gap. Some ticket sales sites are protected by a bot or cookie wall. If some information could not be read, it is marked as a measurement gap, not as zero.
Comparison guide
What to consider in the comparison
Long-distance coach transport in Finland is concentrated: OnniBus (part of the Koiviston Auto group) dominates most of the routes, FlixBus operates on a platform model and the rest are regional operators whose tickets are mostly sold through Matkahuolto.
An online ticket is almost always cheaper than a ticket bought on the bus, but it is usually departure-specific: it is valid only for the departure it was bought for.
Discount groups (children, young people, students, pensioners) and their percentages vary by operator, and the card entitling you to the discount must be shown when boarding the bus.
Some ticketing sites are protected by bot blocking, so prices and terms cannot always be read by machine. That does not mean the information is not visible to a human.
How Suomen Paras assesses and scores
Every company is measured with the same public formula: half of the points come from buyer's questions and half from basic metrics, which have four pillars: technical quality, transparency, reachability and AI quality score. Ranking cannot be bought, and you can see the origin of each point on the company's profile. Read the full methodology →
Expert tips
Buy a ticket in advance online or in the app: it is cheaper and guarantees you a seat on popular routes.
Compare departures on the same route from several companies, since there may be many operators on the same route at different prices.
Check the cancellation and change terms before buying, as a session-specific online ticket may not be exchangeable.
If you need accessibility, bicycle or pet transport, check this in advance from the operator's instructions, as spaces are limited.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online ticket cheaper than one bought on the bus?
Usually it is. With many operators a ticket bought online is cheaper, and on the bus the price may be based on kilometres. However, an online ticket is most often tied to a specific departure.
Can I cancel or change my ticket?
It depends on the carrier and ticket type. Some have clear cancellation and change terms online, others refer to the general terms of the sales channel (for example Matkahuolto). Always check the terms before purchase.
Where can I see the schedules and prices?
The timetables and departure-specific prices of most operators can be found in Matkahuolto's timetable search or in the operator's own online shop. Some also publish their discount structure and price tables on their own sites.
Do I get a discount as a student or pensioner?
Yes, most companies have discount groups. Percentages and terms vary, and the card entitling you to the discount must be shown when boarding the bus.
Are you listed and would like to rank higher?
The free pre-analysis shows every item where your company loses points and which rank fixing it is enough for. The paid analysis shows what the items are and how to fix them.
Can't find your company on the list even though it should be there? Get in touch and we will include it in the next measurement round.
