According to a report by Iltalehti, MPs have taken many taxi journeys less than a kilometer long. Short journeys have lasted between 1 and 10 minutes.
SDP MP Eeva-Johanna Eloranta gave an explanation for her 200-meter taxi journeys. KIMMO HAAPALA
According to the taxi reports submitted by the Parliament to Iltalehti, MPs paid for a total of 35 journeys of less than a kilometer with the Parliament’s card in February–April (February 1–April 30, 2024).
SDP:n Eeva-Johanna Eloranta paid for a 200-meter taxi ride on April 4 that started at 6:33 p.m. and ended at 6:34 p.m. The trip in question cost taxpayers 14.70 euros.
On April 9, Eloranta paid for another 200-meter taxi ride that started at 9:14 a.m. and ended at 9:15 a.m. The trip cost taxpayers 20.40 euros.
Eloranta has to think for a moment when he is asked about the 200-meter taxi journeys in the April taxi report.
In the end, Eloranta figures out what the strange-sounding taxi trips are because of: he has paid for the taxi at traffic lights while the trip is still in progress.
– When I preorder a taxi in Turku, I often use the taxi card when we are at the traffic lights. Then it will be a very short journey. The journey is actually longer, says Eloranta.
– You can choose an advance price or go according to the meter. I sometimes choose an advance price, and then you can also pay in Helsinki during the trip.
Eloranta says he uses the parliament’s taxi card mostly in Turku for trips between his home and the station and sometimes in Helsinki if he has a meeting.
– Of course, I never drive anything 200 meters by taxi. That’s for sure and certain.
Eloranta says that he used a taxi in March–April because of pneumonia. He identifies the second trip as the trip between his home in Turku and the station. He doesn’t recognize the other one.
– I could have done the same way, i.e. pay it in the middle of the trip. I can’t think of any other explanation. It was around the time I had pneumonia.
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