Tue, November 03, 2009
HELSINKI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Finland's first "office bus" has recently started to offer regular services between the country's northern metropolis Oulu and Pudasjarvi in near rural area, reported Finnish media Tuesday.
The 16-seated bus is equipped with wireless broadband and working space for passengers, offering possibility of turning the waste of commuting time to effective working hours.
For employers in rural communities like Pudasjarvi, an office bus service would be cheaper than subsidizing commutes by car and reduce employees' fatigue at the same time. It is thus hoped that the service will make it easier for employers in rural areas to recruit more highly-skilled workers, who were usually less interested in taking up jobs outside major urban areas.
The future of the office bus service depends on how popular it becomes. By some estimates, up to 150 people make the commute from Oulu to Pudasjarvi, so the potential exists.
According to Marianne Mantylehto, the manager of the pilot project, 10 to 15 travelers a day could make it viable for the operators.
