Great news: BKK plans to expand Pay&GO to the rest of Budapest

BKK is considering the introduction of an electronic ticketing system, which would allow passengers to purchase any ticket instantly through the Budapest Pay&GO application, thus improving smooth ticketing, Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) announced.

The digital payment service, which was launched a year ago, has had very positive feedback so far, according to BKK, with more than 1 million tickets purchased through the system since its launch.

Photo: FB/BKK

In recent years, modern technological solutions have been increasingly used in public transport in the capital, and customers often prefer to use digital sales platforms such as the BudapestGO app or the Pay&GO digital service, which already made up more than 30% of BKK’s sales this year.

According to BKK figures, nearly 35 percent of tickets on the Airport Express are already purchased this way, while 25-30 percent of passengers on Metro Line M1 pay with Pay&GO. 45 percent of those using the system use a smart device and 55 percent use a physical bank card. 93 percent of customers using Pay&GO usually buy up to two tickets at a time.

The video below shows the process of purchasing a ticket via Pay&GO on Metro Line M1:

Pay&GO to be available on all BKK services

The Budapest Pay&GO system, introduced by BKK last year as a pilot scheme, is becoming increasingly popular. The service, which is the fastest and easiest way to buy tickets in the capital today, is based on the fact that the validation is carried out at the same time as the payment transaction. The procedure, which has been used internationally for years, does not generate a paper ticket or confirmation, the customer’s credit card can prove that the passenger is entitled to use the transportation service.

The company hopes that the future Pay&GO system will provide a solution for as many customer needs as possible so that both regular and occasional users of public transport can find the ticket type that suits them best. However, the introduction of such a complex electronic system will take several years, and the Budapest Transport Centre estimates that the Pay&GO payment solution will be available on additional lines from the second half of 2026 at the earliest.

For the time being, BKK is launching a public consultation to examine the conditions for making the Pay&GO digital payment service available throughout the capital and how the system could be further developed. The aim of the consultation is to discuss with potential supplier partners their expectations of BKK’s service and to address issues related to the development and operation of the system.

The process will provide the company with a more accurate overview of the solutions offered by the various market leaders for the expansion and implementation of the electronic ticketing system, so that BKK can make the best possible decision on the expansion of the Pay&GO system.

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