From 12 August, bus route 554 will provide a direct link along Ring I from Itäkeskus to Westend. The bus will run from Itäkeskus via Ring I, Lassila, Pitäjänmäki station, Leppävaara and Tapiola to Westendinasema.
The new bus route will serve the entire Ring I from one end to the other. The current bus route network has no direct bus services e.g. between East Helsinki and Leppävaara and Tapiola. The new route will operate Monday through Friday approximately between 5am and 11pm and on Sundays approximately between 6am and 11pm.
The route will connect several district centers in Helsinki and Espoo, rail stations and other key transport nodes. In addition, the route of the new service intersects with many trunk bus routes.
There will be changes to the current bus routes serving Ring I when bus route 554 begins operating. The new bus route will replace bus route 523 from Westendinasema to Leppävaara entirely as well as the K services on bus route 553 that currently operate in the evenings and on weekends.
Moreover, service on bus route 54 will somewhat decrease because bus route 554 will increase the service supply on the busiest section of route between Itäkeskus and Kaupintie. Additionally, new weekend services will be introduced on route 553.
You can already find the timetable and route of bus 554 in the Journey Planner.
The changes are part of a larger whole with the purpose of improving public transport services during 2024. We will improve services on several routes and modes of transport. You can find a list of all the changes here.