Video and audio recordings could soon be mandatory in Budapest taxis

Budapest may soon require taxis to record every ride with video and audio: a move city officials say would make the industry safer and more transparent. But many drivers are pushing back, warning that the plan ignores their key demands

Ambrus Kiss, Director General of the Mayor’s Office, told InfoRádió that the city leadership wants to take steps to make the taxi market “cleaner” and provide greater security for passengers. Some changes could be introduced at the municipal level, while others would require cooperation with the government, Infostart.hu reported.

Taxi tricks and abuses in Budapest

As we have reported in detail previously, taxi fraud has long been a problem in Budapest, with some drivers exploiting passengers through rule-breaking and various tricks.

According to the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK), foreign tourists are particularly vulnerable. They are often charged several times the official fare, or tricked at the POS terminal — for instance, by entering an amount with an extra zero or converting the payment into another currency, which leads to significant extra costs. Although the authorities carry out regular inspections and impose heavy fines, the recurring abuses show why tighter regulation may indeed be necessary.

City hall promises safer taxi services

The proposed measures include several concrete changes to the operation of taxi services:

• Stricter checks on taxi meters and fares. Authorities want to eliminate the possibility of overcharging and ensure every passenger pays exactly the official tariff. This would also protect law-abiding drivers.
• New requirements for drivers. In the future, licenses would only be granted to applicants with no criminal record. Drivers would also be expected to have some language skills to better serve tourists, and compulsory training would be introduced to improve service quality.
• Video and audio recording inside vehicles. Cameras and microphones would be installed in taxis, operating throughout the journey. City officials argue this would enhance safety for both passengers and drivers, as recordings could be reviewed in case of complaints or incidents.
• Greater transparency for passengers. Each ride would be fully traceable: passengers would know exactly who is driving, under what license, and where the data is stored.

“Much ado about nothing” – Drivers unimpressed

Taxi associations, however, have reacted with disappointment. Zoltán Metál, Secretary General of the National Taxi Association, told InfoRádió that the city’s proposals ignore the profession’s most important demands.

“Much ado about nothing. That’s how I would sum this up. The serious professional requests made by drivers themselves, in the interest of passenger safety, were swept aside,” he said.

Drivers had requested, for example, that criminal record checks be required annually instead of every five years, in order to more quickly identify unfit drivers. They also voiced concerns about data protection, since under the plan, every trip record would have to be handed over to a private company. The idea of mandatory cameras and microphones is also seen as problematic due to legal obstacles and high implementation costs.

Retired yellow taxis and surveillance plans spark debate

Another contentious issue is the so-called “de-yellowing.” When a taxi is withdrawn from service, the car retains its yellow paint, which can cause confusion — particularly at night or among tourists — and may lead to abuse. Industry representatives argue this should also be changed, but the city has so far taken no concrete steps on the matter.

As for video and audio recording, associations stress that current legislation does not even permit comprehensive surveillance inside taxis. They add that installing and operating such a system would involve significant expenses and complex data management, which they consider unrealistic under current conditions.

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