Metro (underground)

As most Budapest residents travel with a monthly card, they do not really understand the recent changes in the fare structure, which attempted to cater more efficiently for the needs of internal travellers and tourists, and old people over 70 (the latter travel free of charge). As you will probably buy a Budapest Card, and not bother about tickets, you may not be interested either. If for some reason the Budapest Card does not appeal, you can buy a 'metro szakaszjegy' that entitles you to ride 3 stops away on the same line, a 'metró szakasz-átszállójegy', that entitles you to ride 5 stops with one change, and a 'metró-átszállójegy', that lets you go wherever you want, on any of the lines, though again with one change and no more. Of course, the day ticket can be used on the underground as well.

The first underground line, the yellow line, runs between Vörösmarty tÉr in the city centre (all our walks start from this square) and the terminus at Mexikói út. The journey takes just over 10 minutes. The entrances to most stations and the notices on the walls are copies of the originals; it was only in the 1970s that the old trains were unfortunately replaced by more modern carriages.

The second, red, line, takes passengers from a large housing estate in the east of Pest to the centre of Buda to Moszkva tÉr and to the DÉli (Southern) Railway Station. The line crosses under the river, between the Parliament and Lánchíd. The journey takes about 20 minutes. In the rush hour, trains run at 2 minute 7 second intervals. In all stations, there is a rubber strip on the edge of the platform. You may not step on this until the train has stopped in the station. If you do stray onto it, a voice will, with increasing hysteria, start coming over the loudspeakers: 'A biztonsági sávot kÉrem elhagyni'. ('Leave the Security Strip, Will You?!') Naturally, most foreign visitors do not understand the warning, which will be repeated until a Hungarian passenger taps the visitor on the shoulder, and gestures to him to step back.

The third, blue, line is the newest. It takes passengers from an industrial district in the south-east through the downtown area to the northern part of the city in 28 minutes. In the rush hour the trains on this line run every 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

The three lines have a busy junction at Deák tÉr. Tickets are available at every station at the regular 'pÉnztár' until about 8 p.m. After that time you can get one in the section called 'forgalmi üügyelet'. There you can look at the black and white monitors that keep an eye on the network.

Underground trains run between 4.30 a.m. and 11.10 p.m.

Night bus 78 serves most of the route of the second underground line, while Night bus 182 follows the route of the third line.

Buses

Most people in Budapest, some 40% of all mass transit passengers, travel by bus. There are more than 200 bus routes, all of them travelled by Hungarian-made buses with automatic gearboxes. They are manufactured at Ikarus, once the fifth largest bus factory in the world, a stumbling industrial giant whose reorganization is now gathering momentum. Perhaps half of them are articulated buses - as characteristic of Budapest as double-deckers are of London. On busy routes, buses with the number in red are fast buses; the route is the same as that of the buses with the same number in black but there are far fewer stops. Boarding these buses requires careful consideration. Bus numbers in red which are also followed by a red letter E (e.g. 73E) are express non-stop service, and stop only at the two termini. Most bus stops indicate the routes and stops on a board.

After boarding the bus, passengers must look for a punch-machine to validate their tickets. You put your ticket into the slot of the machine upside down and pull the rim of the slot firmly towards you. If you see no rim, you are confronted with an automatic one that stamps audibly. Your tickets are likely to be checked by the inspectors, who either wear a uniform when getting on the bus or disguise themselves as housewives carrying large shopping bags. In either case an inspector states: 'KÉrem a jegyeket ellenorzÉsre' (Keh-rrem ah yedj-e-ket e-len-owr-zesh-re), i. e. 'Show me your tickets for checking'. Inspectors are not often tolerant of confused foreigners. City buses are traditionally blue; but now they are coloured all over with advertisements. You can board the bus through any door. The bus stops only if there is someone waiting to get on or to get off. If you wish to get off, you signal to the driver by pushing the button above any of the doors. People do not queue at bus stops: you board the door nearest you when you can.

Trams

There have been trams in Budapest for more than a century, the tracks laid by competing companies, all of which kept their trams in their own livery. Until only twenty years ago there were still various types of trams and people had various sentiments towards certain types. Some trams had an open platform and more adventurous passengers, or those who could not find any room inside the tram, stayed outside. Most Budapest children naturally preferred the platform, which gave you the sense of being master of a ship as the tram swayed along.

Nowadays all the trams are yellow and all have doors that close automatically. A few years ago many tram routes were replaced by buses but this trend has now stopped and there has even been a new tram line laid (Tram 1 on the Outer Boulevard). If the tram is packed, pass your ticket over to someone beside the punch and they will punch it for you.

Trams start running early in the morning, some as early as 3 a.m. Information on the first and the last trams on a route can be read at every stop. (Utolsó kocsi indul = The last one leaves.)

In 2000 the city of Budapest bought some dozens of used tramways from the city of Hannovers. The apparently businesslike matter became a political question: the city governmemt almost collapsed in the controversy. Mayor Demszky wanted to buy new trams, and wanted to prepare the decision better, while the coalition Socialist party backed the decision that bying the 25 year old trams is a clearcut lesser evil for the city.

Trolley-buses

There have been trolley-buses in Budapest since 1949 (apart from a single line in the 30s in Óbuda for a time), and there are 13 routes at present. Their numbers allegedly start from 70 only because it was on Stalin's 70th birthday that the first line started operating. You can travel on trolley-buses with the uniform tickets. The current-collectors of trolley-buses frequently come loose, providing a favourite piece of street-theatre when the driver jumps out of her seat, assembles a long pole, catches the loose current-collector with it and puts it back onto the overhead wire. (Trolley-buses and trams are usually driven by women.)

Every bus, tram and trolley stop has a sign which shows when the last vehicle starts from the terminus on that route, usually between 11 and 12 p.m. You can find information on all-night trams and buses that run even after midnight. For the visitor the best value is, no doubt, the Budapest Card, or a day ticket. A Word of Warning: You cannot buy tickets on trams or buses. You have to buy them in underground stations or at newsagents, or slot machines. Another rule is that after 8 p.m. you can only use the front door, and there you should produce your pass or ticket to the driver.

Other public transport

The cog-wheel railway (Fogaskereku) began running in 1874 and has since been electrified. It climbs up into the Buda hills, starting from Városmajor near Moszkva tÉr and reaching SzÉchenyi-hegy station in 16 minutes. The distance between the two termini is 3,7 kilometres and the difference in height is 327 metres. The trains run from 4.25 a.m. to midnight.

Children's Railway starts from where the cog-wheel train line ends up on the hill. The trains run on an 11 kilometre narrow-gauge track and provide an enchanting trip through the woods. What is special about it is that the line is run by children, naturally with adult helpers for some of the tasks.

The chairlift runs 8 metres above the hillside from a valley called Zugliget up to the highest peak in the city, the look-out tower on János-hegy. There is a 262 metre difference in height between the two termini and it takes 12 minutes to make the journey. It is in operation between 9.30 a.m. and 4 p.m., in summer between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., except every other Monday (the odd ones).

The cable car (Sikló) train was reopened in 1986, having been entirely reconstructed after damage suffered during the war. It takes visitors from the Buda end of Lánchíd up to Castle Hill in one minute. It carries prams and wheelchairs as well. Tickets on the spot.