HSL – Helsinki region transport

HSL’s new strategy: Co‑creating a shared direction for regional mobility

HSL is the joint local authority responsible for public transport and the transport system across nine municipalities in the Helsinki region. As the organisation entered a new council cycle, HSL needed to renew its strategy for 2026–2029 and create a shared direction for a rapidly changing mobility landscape. Solita partnered with HSL to design and facilitate a broad, participatory strategy process – one that combined deep stakeholder engagement, structured analysis and future scenarios, and a modern cocreation approach that kept HSL firmly in control.

We wanted a strategy process where HSL would stay firmly in the driver’s seat, while still benefiting from strong facilitation, structure and external insight. Solita supported us exactly in that role. They are a true partner who strengthens our work without taking it over.

Minna Rantama Head of Strategy, HSL

Results

From internal silos to broad, meaningful participation: Staff and municipalities were involved from the very beginning, while customers, operators, state representatives, and mobility service providers participated through ecosystem workshops and individual interaction sessions.
From short-term pressures to long-term preparedness: Future scenarios looking ahead to 2045 helped HSL anticipate major shifts, including autonomous mobility and changes in travel behaviour.
From consultant‑driven to HSL‑owned strategy work: Solita supported with methodology, facilitation and analysis while ensuring HSL’s leadership and experts remained fully in control.
From complex multi‑municipality governance to smooth decision-making: A carefully designed workshop flow enabled the new political board to align quickly and approve the strategy unanimously ahead of schedule.

In the strategy, we’ve created a strong vision of the kind of mobility we want to promote in this region. Our ambition is that public transport remains at the heart of mobility, but we will pay attention to the whole travel chain and partnerships. Solita’s experts really helped us.

Vesa Silfver CEO, HSL

A new strategic direction was in order

The need to renew HSL’s strategy is written directly into the organisation’s founding agreement: every four years, with the arrival of new municipal councils and a new board, HSL defines its strategic direction. This cycle aligned with major changes in the mobility landscape. Travel behaviors had shifted significantly after the pandemic; technological developments such as autonomous mobility were accelerating, and municipalities expressed a strong desire for deeper involvement in shaping HSL’s future.

HSL’s leadership also emphasised the need for broader participation, from staff to customers to municipal leadership. Before the strategy process even formally began, HSL conducted extensive listening tours and discussions to understand expectations and ensure that people felt involved in the process.

Co-creation ensured consistency, speed and clarity

The work began with defining clear principles for how the strategy should be built: strong participation, sustainability embedded throughout, and transparent collaboration with the nine municipalities that HSL serves.

Solita and HSL jointly established a core task force: experts selected for their strategic thinking and practical experience. Solita’s role was to bring structure, methodology, analysis and facilitation, while HSL retained full ownership of content and direction. Also, the whole HSL staff was invited to contribute to shaping the future strategy.

The process moved through three phases

Understanding: Strategic analysis, data gathering and the creation of four future scenarios stretching to 2045.
Insight: Prioritising the most significant shifts in the operating environment, identifying strategic choices, and shaping early strategy elements.
Choices: Deep collaboration with HSL’s newly appointed political board, who ultimately refined and aligned behind the mission, vision, strategic goals and measurable objectives.

This governance setup – with HSL and Solita coleading as dual project managers – ensured consistency, speed and a clear path for decision-making.

Solita’s support in a complex multimunicipality environment

The strategy process needed to work within a highly complex political and organisational context: nine municipalities, a new political board, and the need to balance public expectations, financial pressures and long-term sustainability goals.

Solitans helped design the workshop flow in a way that allowed the board to engage meaningfully, build a shared understanding, and avoid repeated reopening of decisions. Every topic was brought for validation twice, first for orientation and discussion, then for alignment and commitment.

“This was meaningful work for us, and we’re genuinely proud of how it came together. The strategy process was carefully built and collaboratively executed, and seeing HSL’s board approve the final strategy unanimously, even ahead of schedule, was a strong confirmation that the work paid off. The whole team felt invested in this, and you could sense the commitment throughout”, tells Petri Aaltonen, Strategic Design Lead, Solita.

The collaboration worked exceptionally well. The team brought the right people into the process at the right time, and we always felt the reins stayed in our hands. Solita helped us structure discussions, refine our strategic choices and prepare high-quality materials for our board.

Minna Rantama Head of Strategy, HSL

Key takeaways

Wide participation builds ownership: Staff, municipalities, state actors, customers and partners all contributed to shaping the final strategy.
Clear structure unlocks complex governance: A well-designed process enabled smooth alignment across nine municipalities and a new political board.
HSL-led, consultant supported: Solita strengthened the process without overshadowing HSL’s ownership or expertise.
Strategic clarity for years ahead: The new vision, mission and goals provide a shared direction for all of HSL’s development work.