Survey: Increase in positive attitudes towards the Tramway in Tampere and Pirkkala
Tampere Tramway Ltd conducts an annual Tampere Tramway consumer survey about the opinions and attitudes of Tampere residents towards the tramway. This year, the survey was extended to the municipality of Pirkkala as well as to the area of influence of the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa tramway section currently under construction. According to the surveys, positive attitudes towards the tramway are on the rise in both Tampere and Pirkkala.
According to the Tampere Tramway consumer survey, as many as 91 per cent of Tampere residents and 72 per cent of Pirkkala residents have a positive attitude towards the Tramway. The portion of respondents who have a very positive attitude towards the tramway has increased by two per cent from last year. In Pirkkala, the survey was conducted for the first time in February 2025. According to the follow-up survey conducted in October, there is a six-per-cent increase in positive attitudes towards the Tramway.
During the period of comparison, the number of people who have a very positive attitude towards the Tampere Tramway has increased by two per cent in Tampere and by a whopping 13 per cent in Pirkkala. In Tampere, 71 per cent of respondents hold a very positive attitude towards the Tramway. In Pirkkala, the corresponding percentage is 48. In turn, 16 per cent of Pirkkala residents and four per cent of Tampere residents view the Tramway negatively. Only one per cent of respondents in Tampere have a very negative attitude towards the Tramway, which is the same as last year’s result. In Pirkkala, the corresponding figure is seven per cent, when still in February the figure was 11 per cent.
– The results of the consumer survey provide important information to us about fulfilling the expectations of residents. That is why it is very exciting and humbling to get those results every year. This is the best kind of thank you we can get for our work. We are extremely happy to see such an increase in positive attitudes towards the Tramway every year, says Pekka Sirviö, CEO of Tampere Tramway Ltd.
– I am thrilled about the positive development of customer satisfaction. I think this means that the project is advancing smoothly, despite occasional traffic challenges. When three thirds are happy and only 16 per cent view the project negatively, the implementation can continue in favourable terms, says Marko Jarva, Mayor of Pirkkala.
The Tramway has a positive impact on the development of neighbourhoods
Every other Tampere resident feels that the Tramway has a positive impact on their neighbourhood. The portion of people viewing the impact as positive has increased by six per cent from last year. According to the survey, the Tramway has had a positive impact especially on neighbourhoods close to the tramway (2025: 54%, 2024: 49%, 2023:58%). On the other hand, six per cent of respondents feel that the Tramway has affected negatively on the development of their neighbourhood, whereas last year the corresponding figure was seven per cent. In Pirkkala, 41 per cent of respondents feel that the Tramway has a positive effect on the development of their neighbourhood, whereas five per cent deem the effect negative.
In the consumer survey, 58 per cent of respondents from Tampere reported that the Tramway has increased their own use of public transport, which is the same result as last year. In Pirkkala, 54 per cent of respondents said that the Tramway has increased or will increase their use of public transport. In the beginning of this year, the figure was 49 per cent.
According to the survey, 93 per cent of Tampere residents have travelled by the Tampere Tram. In comparison, last year’s figure was 92 per cent. In Pirkkala, the corresponding figure is 66 per cent, whereas in the beginning of the year it was 71 per cent. 59 per cent of respondents in Tampere and 39 per cent of respondents in Pirkkala report that travelling by tram has changed their attitude towards the Tramway project to a positive direction.
The number of Tampere residents who use the Tram daily has increased by eight per cent from last year. 47 per cent of Tampere residents use the Tram at least on a weekly basis, while in Pirkkala the corresponding number is eight per cent, which is the same as last year.
Tampere residents use the Tram mostly to travel from their home to the city centre, and on other short commutes within the city centre area. All in all, the Tram is used diversely for different kinds of journeys. Pirkkala residents most often use the Tram for short commutes within Tampere city centre. Both Tampere and Pirkkala residents feel that the Tram is easy to use and that the travel experience meets their expectations. The Tram is also perceived as accessible.
According to the residents of Tampere, the strengths of the Tramway include its environmental friendliness and its positive effect on the city’s image. Tampere residents feel that the Tramway makes the city a nicer place to live and that it increases the value of properties. In addition, people increasingly feel that the Tramway increases the appeal of their area of residence. In Pirkkala, people perceive the Tramway as an environmentally friendly means of transport, and the residents of the municipality believe that it will increase the prices of residential properties and other real estates in the vicinity of the tramway. A well-organised park-and-ride for people travelling by car is deemed important. Pirkkala residents also feel that the Tramway strengthens the vitality of Tampere city centre. One in five respondents have a negative view about the benefit of the Tramway to their home municipality.
As many as 92 per cent of respondents in Tampere and 87 per cent of respondents in Pirkkala feel that it is important to grant users the opportunity to participate in the development of the Tramway user experience also in the future.
– It is very nice to hear that the residents of both Tampere and Pirkkala are eager to participate in the development of the Tramway user experience. There will be opportunities to influence also in the future, so it is a good idea to actively follow the appropriate channels of Tampere Tramway, the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Alliance of Tampere Tramway, Nysse, and the municipalities regarding these matters, concludes Sirviö.
Increased tram usage among residents of implementation areas
Tampere Tramway Ltd conducted a separate consumer survey about the attitudes and opinions towards the Tramway of residents along the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa Tramway section that is currently being built between Sori Square and Partola, and between Kaupin kampus and Ruotula. 86 per cent of residents of the affected area view the Tramway positively, while eight per cent have a negative opinion about it. The number of residents who have a very positive attitude toward the Tramway has grown by nine per cent since February.
One in three residents who live near the construction area, and a greater percentage than the 10 per cent reported in the previous survey, have used the Tramway at least on a weekly basis. 66 per cent of respondents report that the Tramway has increased their use of public transport, while at the beginning of this year the corresponding number was 67 per cent.
Nearly half of the respondents feel that the Tramway has had a positive impact on the development of their neighbourhood. However, this portion has decreased by five per cent since the beginning of the year.
87 per cent of respondents think it is important that passengers have an opportunity to participate in the development of the Tramway’s user experience also in the future.
About the consumer surveys
The Tampere Tramway consumer surveys were commissioned by Tampere Tramway Ltd and conducted by IROResearch Ltd in October 2025. The goal was to survey the opinions and attitudes of residents of Tampere and Pirkkala, as well as residents who live close to the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa tramway section currently under construction. The results of the surveys will be utilised in the development, communications and marketing of the Tampere Tramway.
The target group was people aged 15-75. The sample size of the Tampere survey was 500 respondents. In the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa tramway construction area, 211 respondents were reached. The respondents were quota sampled for place of residence (tramway max. 800 m / rest of Tampere), gender and age group. In Pirkkala, the sample size was 112 respondents.
The data was collected by means of computer-aided telephone interviews at IROResearch Ltd’s own telephone interview center. A sufficient sample of persons who belong to the target group was purchased from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency for data collection purposes. In order to target the register picking, the survey commissioner provided IRO with a “tramway max. 800 m” list of streets.
The first Tampere Tramway consumer survey was performed in 2017. The first Tampere Tramway consumer surveys targeting the municipality of Pirkkala and the construction area of the Pirkkala-Linnainmaa tramway section were conducted in February 2025. A follow-up study will be carried out each year.
Further information:
Pekka Sirviö
CEO Tampere Tramway Ltd
Tel. +358 (0)40 334 5798
pekka.sirvio (at) tampereenraitiotie.fi