Budapest pass will not be valid on trains, buses, HÉV trains inside the city

That is what Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony told yesterday to RTL News. The measure would be a new milestone in the long road of conflicts between the Hungarian government and the opposition-led Budapest.

Between 2010 and 2019, following PM Orbán’s two landslide victories in 2010 and 2014, thanks to the divided opposition parties not running together, Fidesz could win Budapest. István Tarlós, Budapest’s mayor was not a member of the governing parties but non-aligned. However, his close ties to Orbán were obvious.

However, in 2019, the opposition parties joined together, so their candidates won not only the mayorship but also the city council majority. Afterwards, Orbán said they would cooperate with the capital, but conflicts began to evolve swiftly. During the coronavirus pandemic, Budapest said the government did not provide enough help for the city, while cabinet members slammed Karácsony stating he was unsuitable for the position.

The latest conflict began when the government raised Budapest’s solidarity contribution from HUF 58 billion to HUF 75 billion (EUR 201 million). They say the capital has to pay more because it is much more developed than other settlements. Budapest’s mayor stated that the burden was too high and sued the Hungarian State Treasury. Karácsony added he would not pay the tax until the court decides in the process. In return, the government said they would not transfer state budget allocations for the city, and the municipal leadership threatened by freezing city budget financial support for Volánbusz and MÁV, the Hungarian State Railways.