The recreational ride service is being tested and developed in Tampere

A new mobility service designed to help children and young people more easily access sports and leisure facilities is in the process of being developed and tested in Tampere. The “NääsMaas” hobby-mobility service, created this year, provides a shuttle service for students from school to hobby and back to school.

The aim is to create a safe transport service between the school and the recreational facilities, shifting the focus of training to the afternoon and thus increasing the time available for the families to spend together in the evenings, as well as reducing the car traffic associated with taking kids to their hobbies. Other benefits include the more efficient use of transport equipment, exercise facilities and time, as well as shorter working days for the sports staff. More broadly, the service also has environmental and equality impacts, as it can reduce traffic and private car use, as well as providing more children with access to hobbies.

Based on the feasibility study, the first trial period has now commenced. This is expected to lead to a longer and more expansive trial period in the spring. In the first phase, about 100 schoolchildren will be transported from different schools to sports halls and back. The experiment will test the concept’s functionality, as well as its potential for up-scaling.

The service has been developed by the City of Tampere, MDI, WSP Finland Oy, the Ministry of the Environment and sporting figures in the regional sports umbrella organisations “Hämeen liikunta ja urheilu” and Varala Sports Institute. Tuomi Logistics Ltd, Kyyti Group and Intoit Ltd have also been involved in the development work.