Oulu buses and prices

I had not travelled as a paying passenger in a bus for a long long time.

My first seven years in Oulu, when I was working at the University, I travelled by bus.

When I arrived here in 1984, the fare from the Kampitie doorstep to the University (route 33), right across town, was just 3 marks (about € 0,50). Then I started to use a bus pass and the cost per journey was hardly € 0,10 as I used the pass many times a day.

I was not very happy with the weekend service and wrote a blistering article about it way back in 1991.

When I started using the car, first a VW Beetle, then a great Opel and then several other wonderful cars till my latest 1992 VW Vento, I hardly used the bus.

I used the service extensively when grandson Samuel was a toddler (1998-2000). But, in Oulu, we have a great rule that when accompanying a toddler in a push chair, neither has to pay the fare. I used to criss cross the city with him looking at all sorts of things as machines, cement churners, road rollers, dump trucks, cranes, as he used to be fascinated by them.

Finally, the other day, I gave my car for some work. I realised the bus stand was just outside my favourite garage, and there is a direct bus home.

Once on board I paid the fare - € 2,90.

An increase from € 0,50 to € 2,90 in 25 years seemed a bit steep to me. My pension vis-á-vis my salary in 1984 has not gone up by the dame ratio!

I cannot say whether the bus service has improved or not based on a couple of trips.

I can say the new technologies that are in play - bus arrival schedules at major bus stops along the route, the RFID bus cards (I was the actor in the first video of BUSCOM, reading the Financial Times in the Technology Village Cafe), and the modern bus fleet, certainly seems to indicate that it is a good service.

But worth the € 2,90 for a trip. Certainly not!

ICE - In Case of Emergency

I received this very important email from a dear friend, which I felt should have the widest publicity, so I am putting it on all my major blogs:

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) Campaign

The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and Hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as "ICE."

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!

Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards" before everybody will know about this It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest .

Remember:- ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.

Thank you Naval for this wonderful input.