Attention: Hungarian State Railways’ announced new travel passes
Hungarian State Railways’ (MÁV) 2025/2026 timetable will come into force on Sunday, 14 December.
New timetable, and also, new travel passes from Hungarian State Railways
From mid-December, annual nationwide and county travel passes will be available for purchase in the new MÁVPlusz application, while from Friday all passengers will be able to take advantage of a 15 per cent “smart discount” on tickets bought via the app, MÁV told MTI on Saturday.
They noted that services will be expanded on certain railway lines, while for the majority of train passengers the routes that have proven popular in recent years will remain unchanged.
Bus services will change too
Significant changes will be introduced to Volán bus services. In line with the new Act on Passenger Transport Services – referred to as the “transport constitution” – a basic level of public transport will be guaranteed for every Hungarian village, town and city.
As a result, around 1,000 settlements will directly benefit from the legislative changes. Travel will be ensured by three pairs of direct bus services per day between settlements and their district centres, and by two pairs of direct bus services per day between district centres and county seats.
They added that, with the exception of minor adjustments affecting a few evening services on the H8 and H9 lines, timetables on the HÉV suburban railway lines will remain unchanged.
MÁV’s popularity is growing
It was emphasised that since the fare reform, significantly more people have been using the services of Hungarian State Railways thanks to discounts, expanded free travel options and the affordable county and nationwide passes. The popularity of the new types of passes is reflected in the fact that passengers purchase around one million of them each month.
From the timetable change, the range of passes will be further expanded with a new option: from mid-December, annual nationwide and county passes will also be available, eliminating the need to purchase a new pass every month. This will simplify paperwork and administration for employers when reimbursing commuting costs.
The price of the annual pass will be equivalent to the cost of 12 monthly passes. The annual pass will also provide assistance to parents, as for just HUF 22,680 (EUR 59.12) they can ensure travel for their children over the age of 14 throughout the entire country not only during the spring and autumn school terms, but also during school holidays, the statement said.
You will need the application
Attention was also drawn to the fact that from 12 December a new type of discount, available to a much wider range of passengers, will replace previous offers. Domestic intercity bus tickets, train tickets and seat reservations purchased via the new MÁVPlusz application downloaded to smart devices will entitle all users to a 15 per cent smart discount, applicable to both train and bus travel.
MÁV advises passengers to check the usual information channels before buying tickets or passes and before travelling, in order to familiarise themselves with the timetable valid from 14 December and the available transfer options.