The so-called "Local Identity Protection Law" will serve to ensure that if a community feels it can no longer accept more newcomers, it can take steps in order to prevent this. Continue reading
On Tuesday, János Lázár, Minister of Construction and Transport, announced several important changes, mainly set to take effect this summer. Among other things, he promised that starting June 1st, MÁV (Hungarian national railway company), will give passengers a 50 percent ticket refund after a 20-minute delay, hirado.hu reported.
János Lázár held a press conference together with Zsolt Hegyi, CEO of the MÁV Group, where they reported on changes related to the operations and services of MÁV and Volánbusz, the Hungarian intercity and regional bus company. The Minister began by saying that due to the country and county passes and the fare reform, more people are using public transport than ever before. He added that although tickets were cheaper, more were purchased, and this brought in at least as much money as in previous years when fewer but more expensive tickets were sold.
(L-R) János Lázár and Zsolt Hegyi at the press conference, photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
According to Index, the Minister said that one billion journeys had been made in 2024, and described the sale of 900,000 season tickets per month in March and April this year as a huge number compared to previous decades.
From June 1st, MÁV will take objective responsibility for delays and will provide passengers with a 50 percent ticket refund for every 20 minutes of delay, “
promised the Minister during the press conference.
Citing Lázár, this measure will apply to both paper and online tickets, although the delay insurance function must be activated separately when purchasing tickets via the app. The Minister added that he expects MÁV to reduce the rate of delays exceeding 20 minutes from 10 percent to four to five percent.
The Minister also mentioned that a “contingency plan” is being prepared for this summer. He announced that 1,200 toilets will be renovated by December 31st at a cost of EUR 16.1 million (HUF 6.5 billion), and mentioned that Hungary will purchase a thousand new buses in the near future, the first 130 of which will arrive within days and begin service at Lake Balaton.
Every bus will be air-conditioned,”
Lázár added.
He also mentioned that 70 locomotives will be leased by spring 2026, some of which are already in operation. The new locomotives will begin operating in groups of three or four each month, which will mainly be noticeable to passengers on the lines around Lake Balaton, he explained.
He pledged that every town will be guaranteed at least one air-conditioned service per day as part of the “climate guarantee” and that 36 stations will be renovated with MÁV funds.
Hegyi, head of the MÁV Group, stated that in the past, news reports often mentioned traffic disruptions or malfunctioning air conditioning, therefore things must improve — and he believes they can.
Via hirado.hu, Index; Featured photo: MÁV/Facebook