Emergency call posts in Budapest to be abolished
According to the Mayor’s Office, in 2022, there were only 48 real requests for assistance from the posts. As a result, the city authorities did not want to extend or renew the operating contract.
“Under the current social circumstances, the 132 emergency call poles set up in 2015-16 at the capital’s busy intersections did not meet the needs of the population”, and will therefore be dismantled. This is what the capital’s municipality said in response to a request from Népszava.
At the orange posts, you could call the emergency number 112. When the first pole was inaugurated in Deák Square in 2015, then-mayor István Tarlós said that 186 poles would be erected, which would be able to broadcast wifi and take panoramic pictures.
According to the capital, the posts cost HUF 316 million (EUR 823,000) (2015 prices) to design and install, and HUF 1.5 million (EUR 3,900) per month to operate.
Until 31 July this year, the posts were equipped with SIM cards from the mobile operator Yettel (former Telenor), Népszava writes.
In response to Népszava’s inquiry, the Mayor’s Office said that in 2022, only 48 real requests for assistance were received from the posts. Thus, the city administration did not want to extend or renew the operating contract.
Népszava asked István Tarlós, former Mayor of Budapest (now an advisor to PM Viktor Orbán), what information he has about the utilisation of the posts, whether he agrees with their dismantling, and whether he feels responsible for the HUF hundreds of millions that were ultimately thrown away. He has not yet responded.