PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN BUDAPEST
Budapest has a huge network of buses, trolleybuses, trams, undergrounds (metro) and over ground suburban trains (local trains, “HÉV”), they are operated by the BKV (Budapesti Közlekedési Vállalat, Budapest Transport Joint Stock Company).
There are 180 bus lines, 14 trolley lines, 29 tram lines and 3 metro lines.
They operate between 4:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. At night on the main routes there are night-buses, mainly each half an hour.
The three metro lines (M1, M2, M3) connect at Deák tér station, in the center of Budapest.
The public transport can be used FREE OF CHARGE by all the pensioners of the EU, and by all children under the age of 7.
In Budapest you have to buy a ticket before getting on a bus, metro, tram, trolleybus, etc, and you have to validate it – you have to insert it into the slot in the small red box situated near the doors of buses, trolleybuses, trams and HÉV trains. For metro travels you can validate it before approaching the line itself.
In Budapest for a very long time it was a common "sport" to use public transport without tickets. Of course, as a student, bilking has always been a great adventure, but here many people really got to far. In 2003 even a movie was made with the title Kontroll - the story inspired by these bilkings.
Of course, after a while the BKV "discovered" that they can earn much more money from sold tickets if they simply don't let passengers step in the territory of the subway area without ticket. They even started making frequent checks on the trains, trams, buses, etc. To everyone's astonishment, after the first week of such controlls, the income of the company grew so high that the monthly of the newly-applied controllers was covered in 4 days! So, today at almost each second subway station you have to show your tickets BEFORE you step in.
Ticket controllers have a blue or red ribbon on their arms with the inscription: BKV, and a kind of ID with a photo on their chest.
You need to use a ticket each time to change lines or get off, so one ticket is valid for one journey only, but it is valid on the entire length of the lines (except on suburban railway {HÉV} lines – there only within the administrative boundary of Budapest). You have to keep the tickets until the end of your trip, because controllers can show up any time at the entire territory of the lines.
There are some bus lines (for example number 200-Airport bus) where you can buy tickets from the bus driver, but this is not a common thing. Tickets can be bought in the underground: at the CASHIER (PÉNZTÁR), or at tobacconists, newsagents, and from vending machines at many bus and tram stops in the city center.
There are different kinds of tickets; if you stay longer in Budapest we recommend you daily-weekly passes.
BUDAPEST CARD also includes free public transport use for the time of it validity.
