Socialists: City lawmakers should decide on public transport policy

Budapest (MTI) – The right to decide on public transport issues, such as whether services should be reduced or not, should be returned to city lawmakers, Socialist Budapest deputy Csaba Horváth told a news conference on Tuesday.

He insisted Budapest transport authority (BKK) had “lied cack-handedly” about planned reductions to public transport services in the capital.

He said several dozen services would be reduced in order to save 100 million forints (EUR 322,000). The authority has decided on the matter without compiling any impact studies or carrying out consultations. However, anyone waiting for a bus, tram or trolleybus from Sept. 1 will soon discover what has happened, he added.

Horvath said matters that had previously been voted on were now been decided in secret, which he called “unacceptable”.

Earlier the BKK denied reports that it planned to reduce services. All public transport services would be running on schedule from September, when students go back to school, the company said in a statement on Monday.

News portal index.hu reported on Monday that BKK planned cost savings by cutting services by 3-5 percent from September. It said that trams 47-49 and 56A would be running less frequently as well as buses 109, 33, 110, 112, 5, 7 and 8E. Several trolleybus services were also reported to be reduced.

BKK said no such plans were being delivered, but services would switch back from their summer schedule to the autumn, school-year one. Passenger trends are constantly monitored and services are adjusted to changes in demand, the statement added.

Source: MTI