City of Espoo’s first Drivers’ Day improves safety and sustainability in group transport
Logistics at the City of Espoo organised the first-ever Drivers’ Day for group transport service providers. The aim of the event was to increase the competence of drivers in the safe transport of children and to highlight how transport supports the city's climate objectives and sustainable development.
Drivers’ Day included discussion on topics such as the transport of special needs children, quality control of transport, and sustainable urban logistics. The programme also included practical exercises such as an inspection of an accessible vehicle and an electronic driving test. Discussions highlighted the electrification of transport and its impacts on the work of drivers.
In Espoo, transport emissions account for about one third of the city’s total emissions. One third of this is emissions caused by logistics. For this reason, the development of low-emission transport is an important part of the journey towards a carbon-neutral Espoo in 2030.
Iina Kallio, Project Manager at the City of Espoo’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, and Senior Specialist Veli-Pekka Korhonen emphasised that reducing logistics emissions is essential for Espoo to achieve its climate targets. In particular, the transformation of vehicle fleet’s power sources from internal combustion engines to electric engines sparked discussion from the point of view of investments.
“Emissions from group transports can be influenced already at the time transport services are tendered. The division of areas and pricing in our current agreement will guide companies to optimise their routes so that the number of vehicles and kilometres driven will remain as low as possible,” says Reetta Björkroth, City of Espoo Transport Manager for passenger transport. “From the beginning of 2025, we have also monitored emissions from group transports and the share of electric and hybrid cars in kilometres driven,” Björkroth continues.
Espoo has decided to continue holding a Drivers’ Day in the future. The aim is to ensure safe and customer-oriented transport services that support a sustainable future.
Participation of the City of Espoo’s Drivers’ Day has been implemented as part of the eCargo - A decrease in emissions from truck traffic with development of the charging network and Innovation Challenge Engine for Cities projects.