The Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK), Budapest’s public transport authority, will begin installing new ticket validation devices across the capital’s metro network on Wednesday as part of the expansion of its Pay&GO bank card payment system.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the installation marks the next phase of a pilot project that will allow the Pay&GO service to become available on all metro lines by mid-April.
The Budapest Pay&GO system enables passengers to purchase and validate a ticket in a single step by simply tapping a bank card or smart device at a validator. The system requires no prior registration, mobile application or paper ticket, allowing passengers to begin their journey immediately after tapping.
In addition to facilitating payment, the bank card also serves as proof of travel authorization. Ticket inspectors can verify the validity of a journey through handheld devices connected to the Pay&GO system, based on the recorded purchase.
BKK noted that contactless tap-to-ride payment has become an international standard in public transport and is already used in hundreds of major cities worldwide.
Installation of the new ticket validation devices will begin on 11 March and is expected to take around four weeks. The rollout will start with stations on the Budapest Metro Line M2, followed by the Budapest Metro Line M4 and then the Budapest Metro Line M3.
Although the validators will be installed in the coming weeks, they will remain inactive until mid-April, meaning passengers will not yet be able to purchase or validate tickets using them. Typically, between two and five new devices will be installed at each station.
During the transition period, some of the existing ticket validation machines will remain available, allowing passengers to continue validating paper tickets in the usual way.
At the same time, previously installed NFC readers used for validating tickets purchased in the BudapestGO application will be removed from metro stations between 9 March and 1 April.
The current pilot expansion focuses on enabling ticket purchases through the Pay&GO system. In the future, however, a full electronic ticketing service will introduce additional features designed for both occasional and frequent passengers.
These planned developments include the option to purchase different types of travel products such as passes and discounted tickets, as well as the ability to set spending caps for occasional trips, including daily or weekly limits.
BKK said the long-term goal is to gradually expand the bank card-based ticketing system across the entire public transport network in Budapest and its metropolitan area starting from 2028.
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