Budapest is on the brink of completely overhauling the city’s parking system: all parking meters are set to disappear from 1 July, while at the same time, parking fees across the capital will rise.
The move, first approved by the Budapest General Assembly in late 2024, is now entering into force. According to reports by RTL Híradó, the city leadership argues that maintaining the thousands of parking ticket machines had become excessively expensive, in some cases costing more than the revenue they generated.
Former Budapest politician and current transport minister Dávid Vitézy had previously stated that operating the machines often cost the city more than the amount motorists paid through them.
Parking machines cost districts millions
According to city officials, some districts were spending enormous sums just to keep the machines operational. One Budapest district reportedly paid around HUF 100 million (EUR 280,000) gross annually for operating and maintaining parking meters.
The Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) says more than 90% of parking payments are already made electronically, mainly by bank card or mobile applications, making the old system increasingly difficult to justify financially.
Most residents interviewed by RTL also said they already use mobile apps for parking rather than physical ticket machines.
Parking fees rising sharply in central Budapest
While parking machines disappear, prices will increase significantly in several zones from July.
In the most expensive inner-city “A” zones, hourly parking fees will rise from HUF 600 to HUF 800. In “B” zones, rates will increase from HUF 450 to HUF 600 per hour.
Meanwhile:
- “C” zones will cost HUF 400 per hour
- “D” zones will cost HUF 300 per hour
City officials expect the changes to cut billions of forints from the operating costs of Budapest’s parking system.
Cash payments still possible, but not immediately
The abolition of parking meters also means drivers will no longer be able to buy parking tickets on the street using cash or card.
However, SMS-based parking payments will remain available.
For motorists who still prefer cash, BKK has reportedly proposed a delayed payment solution through district parking management offices.
Under the proposal, drivers would have one day to settle their parking fee afterwards in cash.
Confusion remains as Zugló hesitates
Not every district appears fully convinced that the transition will happen smoothly.
According to Népszava, Zugló, Budapest’s 14th district, recently launched a conditional public procurement tender related to the operation and maintenance of 270 parking ticket machines.
District officials later clarified they are not planning to purchase new machines, calling the tender merely a precautionary step in case the new rules are delayed or struck down.
The district cited uncertainty surrounding the legal review of the capital’s parking regulation, as well as delays in integrating parking payments into the BudapestGO app.
According to BKK, preliminary plans for integrating parking payments into BudapestGO had already been prepared by summer 2025, but implementation was postponed after the city received unexpectedly high cost estimates. A new public procurement process for the development reportedly began only recently, less than two months before the July deadline.
Although the machines may physically remain on the streets for now, from 1 July, they are expected to stop issuing parking tickets and instead only provide information about alternative payment methods.
Several districts still concerned about revenue
Reports suggest multiple district municipalities remain uneasy about losing the existing parking infrastructure, partly because parking generates significant local revenue.
Some districts have reportedly expressed concerns over terminating current operating contracts, while others — including the 5th, 6th and 8th districts — are already preparing new parking enforcement systems adapted to the upcoming digital-only model.
Daily News Hungary also reported on the news of the overhaul when it first came out earlier this year: Budapest to scrap parking meters and raise fees from July
