Budapest’s public transport faces potential significant price hikes
Budapest’s public transport system, managed by the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK), is facing significant challenges, including rising costs and increasing demand. In response, the BKK has proposed several changes, including a potential 10% fare increase and enhancements to its services.
Rising demand and financial constraints
The BKK is anticipating a modest 0.7% increase in performance this year, but it faces financial constraints, with only about HUF 500 million (EUR 1.25 million) available for developments. This budget is insufficient to cover all the expansions planned by the city council, such as increasing the capacity of the 100E airport bus.
The demand for this service is expected to rise by 15% this year, which can be managed with more frequent services but will reach capacity limits. As we wrote before, if discounts are offered to season ticket holders, the demand could increase by as much as 35%, necessitating the extension of the route to Nyugati railway station and requiring 11 new buses by the end of 2026.
Proposed fare increase
To address financial challenges, the BKK suggests a 10% fare increase for single and daily tickets, which would come into effect from June this year, Népszava reports. This increase is expected to generate an additional HUF 880 million (EUR 2.21 million) annually. Despite this rise, Budapest’s public transport remains one of the cheapest in Europe, second only to Bucharest. For comparison, a single ticket in Budapest would still be significantly lower than in cities like Vienna, Paris, or Stockholm.
Enhancements to public transport services
The BKK is also considering improvements to its night-time services. Currently, the night network includes 47 bus routes, the 6 tram, and the 100E and 200E buses. Plans include reducing the number of night-only bus routes to 46 while adding 12 routes that also operate during the day, along with four more with similar daytime routes, and three metro replacement services. The operation hours of Metro line M1 (Millennium Underground) and the 1 and 47 trams would also be extended.
However, extending metro operations until 1 AM would incur significant costs—HUF 20 million (EUR 50,100) on weekends and HUF 140 million (EUR 351,000) on weekdays. The BKK does not support this extension, instead advocating for fine-tuning to reduce congestion and enhance passenger safety, which could be implemented within a few months.
Metro bus concept
Another proposal involves introducing “metro bus” services, which are controversial among professionals. Creating dedicated “corridors” for these buses would cost between HUF 200 and 500 million (EUR 501,000 and 1,25 million) per route, with an annual cost increase of HUF 400 to 1000 million (EUR 1 to 2.51 million) for two pilot corridors.
The BKK’s proposals aim to balance financial needs with service improvements, but they face challenges in meeting rising demands and costs within the current budget constraints. The fare increase and service adjustments are set to be discussed further in the city council’s upcoming meetings.
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