New international bus line to connect Budapest with Slovakian town

New international bus service links Budapest and Lučenec (Losonc) via Salgótarján and Fiľakovo from early February.

New international bus line from Budapest

Representatives from the MÁV Group and Nógrád County Council announced on Wednesday at Somoskőújfalu on the Hungarian-Slovak border that new scheduled international coach services will launch between Budapest and Lučenec, calling at Salgótarján and Fiľakovo, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.

László Tasó, the ministerial commissioner responsible for road and rail transport development in north-east Hungary at the Ministry of Construction and Transport, told a press conference that five return services already run between Salgótarján and Lučenec. The new route is special, he said, because it starts from Budapest and provides direct access between the two cities.

No direct rail link to the capital, so buses dominate

He explained that since 2022, Hungary has embarked on ambitious and dynamic transport developments that are fundamentally reshaping mobility. Public transport has made huge strides, with major procurement programmes under way to steer overall traffic towards communal services, he added.

He noted that buses dominate in Nógrád county, as there is no direct rail link to the capital, among other places, making good roads in the region essential.

Multiple options

Nándor Skuczi, president of Nógrád County Council, recalled that discussions on launching the bus services began in the summer of 2024. From mid-March 2025, new direct services started between Lučenec and Salgótarján, running four times daily on weekdays and at weekends, while international buses now also connect Rimavská Sobota and Cered.

The new service, he said, will depart from Budapest’s Stadion bus station from 1 February, joining the M3 motorway before taking the 21 main road via Lőrinci, Jobbágyi, Szurdokpüspöki, Pásztó, Mátraszőlős, Bátonyterenye, Vizslás, Salgótarján and Somoskőújfalu to cross into Slovakia.

Ákos Kameniczky, managing director of bus operations at MÁV-Volánbusz Zrt, said the new route had been planned with regard to the large number of Lučenec students studying in Budapest.

Cheap ticket

Following the timetable change on 14 December, he added, services between Salgótarján and Budapest have risen by 30 per cent, with buses every 30 minutes in peak times. The Salgótarján-Lučenec services can connect to this network, into which the direct Budapest route also fits. A full adult single ticket will cost about 4,000 forints, available in advance in forints or euros, he said.

Péter Csúz, the Banská Bystrica region’s presidential envoy, stressed that the Budapest-Lučenec service would ease daily life for locals.

Zsolt Becsó, the MP for Nógrád county’s 1st constituency, described it as vital for creating reliable, predictable and accessible international bus travel with outstanding economic and historical significance. It offers labour market benefits, bolsters tourism in the areas and could ease access to healthcare services, he said.

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