Digital tickets soon to be introduced in Budapest!
Political debate on Facebook between government politicians and the opposition-led transportation company made BKK announce the planned developments for the near future. Purchasing digital tickets is becoming more and more popular, and the transportation company is adapting to this shift.
The removal of ticket selling machines from streets
Dávid Vitézy, the head of the Budapest Development Centre, became aware of the removal of BKK ticket machines. The Budapest Development Centre is a government body, but Vitézy was previously the CEO of the currently opposition-led BKK, so these vending machines were previously installed at his request back in 2013.
Vitézy and BKK shared their differing views on the matter in quite a few comments on Facebook, and they did not seem to be able to find a common ground.
However, BKK defended itself by stating that the number of ticket purchases by the machines in question decreased while the number of tickets sold online increased in recent years. BKK also states that the monthly operating cost of an automatic machine is EUR 350, which is how much the capital saves by dismantling each machine.
It is not the first time that the government and opposition leaders have been arguing over traffic and transportation issues in Budapest, and a few weeks ago, the possibility of the complete shutdown of the transportation company arose in connection with a financial debate. Read more here.
Digital system
With the establishment of the mobile app called FUTÁR in 2014, most ticket types can be purchased online, but one of the most popular ticket types – the normal single ride ticket – is not available yet.
Now, the FUTÁR application is being developed in parallel with the optimisation of the ticket machine network. However, even though 55% of the machines are being removed, it will not be harder to purchase tickets as
a digital ticket system is going to be introduced soon.
Unfortunately, it is not known when, according to Portfolio.hu.
Online shopping options can provide a faster and more convenient solution for those who travel frequently. This way, season tickets can be easily purchased in the application. Until the changes are introduced, the ticket machines on the streets may still be the best option for quick one-time ticket purchases.
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Source: portfolio.hu, DNH
For a proper system that is fully integrated and flexible one needs look no further than London’s Oyster System. That is what BKK should be aiming for, rather than the half baked and not very flexible system they have been trialling on and off in Budapest. In true Hungarian fashion, something that should be simple for the end user has been made unnecessarily complicated.