Budapest public transport to become drastically more expensive due to disagreement between public bodies

As we reported, the Ministry of Construction and Transport (ÉKM) is planning to withdraw MÁV and Volán services from Budapest. If this really happens, it will make public transport in Budapest much more expensive and worse.

As we reported earlier today, the ÉKM said it will not renew the hybrid transport contract with the capital after Budapest owes HUF 2 billion. Without the contract, it will not be possible to travel on MÁV, Volán and HÉV lines with BKK tickets and passes, and the management and coordination of the lines will also be discontinued.

Now, BKK (Budapest Transport Centre) released a statement concerning the news. The ÉKM’s plan could lead to

double season tickets, increasingly expensive public transport, the cancellation of HÉV replacement services, the end of single ticket and pass purchase, the decline of digital passenger information and the disconnection of the capital and the agglomeration,

the statement reads.

Major negative changes

As of 31 December 2023, the ÉKM will not extend the hybrid transport contract under which BKK tickets and season tickets are accepted on MÁV, HÉV and Volán trains, among others. In addition to a common ticket and pass system, the contract provided a unified transport network, harmonised timetables, transfer points, common stops and terminals, and unified traffic management for the hundreds of thousands of people who commuted daily between Budapest and the surrounding municipalities, vg.hu writes.