Watch out! You could easily end up in a Budapest taxi driven by someone who has no licence or even basic schooling
Zoltán Metál, chairman of the National Taxi Association, warns that in recent years Budapest’s streets have been flooded with cab drivers who lack not only a driving licence but even an eighth-grade education. He is calling for a hard-hitting response from the authorities.
Jumping in without proper papers and schooling
Budapest taxi fares were last increased by 10% in March 2023, pushing the base fare to 1,100 forints, the per-kilometre rate to 440 forints and the per-minute charge to 110 forints. The biggest hike came earlier, in May 2022, when fares rose by 25–30%. Drivers pushed for another substantial increase of more than 20% as early as February this year — which would have meant a base fare of around 1,400 forints and 560 forints per kilometre — but Budapest City Hall rejected the proposal.
Yet the job remains a magnet, drawing in hordes of amateurs with no qualifications or paperwork. Many are undeterred even if they lack a driving licence or proof of completing eight years of primary education — both legal requirements under Hungarian law.
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Why are there so many taxi drivers in Budapest?
According to Zoltán Metál, the profession has been severely diluted, and only stronger and more frequent official patrols can resolve the problem.
In Parliament, János Fónagy, a parliamentary state secretary, addressed the issue directly. He acknowledged that Budapest’s streets are overcrowded with taxis. For decades, Hungary had around 10,000 taxi drivers nationwide, roughly half of them operating outside the capital. That figure has now risen to 12,500 — far more than the country can realistically support. As a result, there is fierce competition for passengers, ranging from individual riders to large corporate clients.
Should non-Hungarian speakers be banned from cabs?
Metál believes the solution lies in stepped-up patrols to catch predatory so-called “hyenas”, whose presence poses a serious safety risk. He also calls for a crackdown on high-tech cheating during driving tests using smart devices, as well as tighter taxi licensing rules — possibly including the installation of surveillance equipment at examination centres.
- “Let me go, I want to jump in front of the train” – Budapest taxi driver saves elderly woman’s life
In addition, the National Taxi Association wants third-country nationals who do not speak Hungarian to be excluded from the market (EU and EEA citizens would be exempt). Until now, such drivers have been permitted to take exams with the help of interpreters.
Click for more of our articles concerning taxis in Hungary.
Has Budapest really got to the stage where ‘third country nationals’ with no Hungarian are driving taxis? I’ve never had a non-Hungarian taxi driver, although frequently they’ve told me that I’m the first Hungarian speaking passenger they’ve had all day and even then I’m not a Hungarian local in the traditional sense.
If locals could afford to take a taxi when they needed to there would be a lot more work to go round for a modest sounding 12,500 taxi drivers. London has 108,000 private hire drivers with a similar population to Hungary and I don’t think this figure even includes the ‘black cab’ drivers who obviously do a lot of business in central London.