Kela and special groups

Compensation for Kela rides drops in 2027: Yle says the discount is 32 percent on average

26 August 2026, updated 1 November 2026 · Taksiuutiset editorial team

Kela, the Finnish Social Insurance Institution, tendered the taxi rides reimbursed under health insurance, and dispatch companies offered discounts from the maximum price set by the government, the so-called social tariff (yhteiskuntataksa). According to Yle, the discount is about 23 percent this year and 32 percent next year.

What Yle says about the price

Yle reported on 26 August 2026 that in Kela's tender, two dispatch companies were selected for each of the 17 regions. The tender was based on a maximum price set by the government, and the companies offered discount percentages from it. According to Yle, Kela has tendered the rides for a contract period that starts in 2027 and ends in 2030, after which Kela can decide to use one option year.

According to Yle, next year the kilometre compensation is about 32 percent lower than the social tariff. The figure is the average of the discounts of the selected dispatch companies, not the price of an individual region or company. The discount percentages in this article are figures published by Yle. According to Yle, the government confirms next year's maximum price in December.

Views of entrepreneurs and the industry

Heikki Luoma-aho, a taxi entrepreneur from Jyväskylä, told Yle that he does not intend to drive Kela rides next year. Olli-Pekka Ruoho, an entrepreneur in Jämsä, plans instead to continue driving Kela rides. According to him, the lower compensation means that the entrepreneur must get other driving besides Kela rides.

According to Tuomo Heino, chair of the board of Taksiliitto (the Finnish taxi federation), the kilometre price has never before dropped this much. Petri Palviainen, managing director of the Central Finland ride-combining centre (Keski-Suomen matkojenyhdistelykeskus), in turn thinks that the social tariff should be introduced.

Otto Talvitie, a special planner at Kela, says in the Yle article that Kela has not considered next year's dispatch bids exceptionally low. According to him, Kela takes entrepreneurs' concerns seriously, but it has no contractual relationship with the drivers.

What this means for you

• If you drive Kela rides, your compensation depends on the dispatch company in your region and the contract made with it. Before signing, ask your dispatcher at what price and on what terms you will drive in 2027.
• Next year's maximum price is confirmed in December. Check the euro amounts after that.
• According to Yle, the customer still pays at most a 25 euro own share for a ride.

The article is based on the Yle article published on 26 August 2026 (updated 28 August 2026), read on 1 November 2026. Check the current situation with Kela and your dispatch company.