The head of the capital city region's taxi association Lähitaksi, Raimo Heikkonen, nonetheless warns that they won't be able to completely replace bus traffic in the greater Helsinki region. He expects the worst traffic situation to occur on Wednesday morning.

"Most likely many people will opt for their own cars, which means traffic will be pretty jammed. There's no way there will be enough taxis for everyone," says Heikkonen. "It's an impossible situation. I still hope we can avoid a strike."

Heikkonen says they will also be putting more staff to work in the taxi dispatch centres to help handle the expected volume of calls.

"People have had time to prepare for the strike and make alternate plans for commuting to work, so they might not have to rely on taxis as much as if the strike had been a surprise," notes Heikkonen.