Train delay compensation in Hungary: Here’s how many refunds the railway company issued in the first 3 days
Hungary’s state-owned railway company MÁV has already processed nearly 10,000 refunds just days after launching its new delay compensation scheme on 1 June, the company’s CEO, Zsolt Hegyi, announced on Wednesday.
Almost 10,000 refunds in the first days
According to Hegyi, MÁV issued 9,600 refunds in the first three days of the program, which automatically reimburses passengers 50% of their ticket price if their train is delayed by more than 20 minutes. Most of these cases were handled without any action needed from passengers, particularly for those who purchased their tickets via the MÁV app.
In addition to the automatic refunds for single tickets, the system offers compensation for season pass holders: if they experience five delays of over 20 minutes within a month, they are entitled to a 10% discount on their next pass purchase.
Minor IT glitch
Hegyi noted that the new system experienced a minor IT glitch in its early days, which affected the validation of some compensation claims at ticket offices. The issue has since been resolved. Affected passengers were temporarily redirected to MÁV’s customer support by phone or email. This also applied to passengers who experienced delays when transferring between buses and trains.
Despite the high number of refunds, delays have remained within the company’s average, affecting about 3% of services, consistent with annual trends. The total amount refunded so far has reached approximately HUF 10 million (approx. EUR 25,000).
The goal of the new scheme
The CEO emphasised that the goal of the new compensation scheme is not to normalise or accept delays, but to reduce and eventually eliminate them. He stressed that the financial incentives created by the system, through both refunds and pass discounts, serve as a strong motivation for MÁV to improve punctuality.
“All of our measures this year—from targeted track maintenance to the refurbishment of IC coaches and the procurement of 100 new locomotives—are aimed at improving on-time performance,” Hegyi wrote on his social media page.
Passengers can manage compensation claims or report issues through the MÁVDirekt telephone customer service lines: +36 (1) 349 4949 or +36 (20/30/70) 499 4999.
Read more news about MÁV HERE.
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