The number of passengers using contactless payment to buy metro tickets in Budapest has grown rapidly since the system was expanded across the capital’s metro network in April, with around one-third of ticketed travellers now using the Pay&GO service.
Speaking at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday, Tibor Berkes, Head of Product Development for Mastercard’s Central European division, said the Pay&GO bank card payment system had been fully available on all Budapest metro lines since 22 April. The rollout extended the service to the M2, M3 and M4 metro lines, complementing the M1 line and the 100E airport shuttle, where the system has operated since 2023.
Mastercard provides the technological background and international expertise for the project as a strategic partner of the Budapest Transport Centre and K&H Bank.
According to company data, more than five million tickets were sold through the system between 20 June 2023 and 13 May 2026, while the number of individual users exceeded 2.1 million.
Following the network-wide metro expansion, 93,000 single tickets were sold through the service in less than one month by 13 May. During the examined period, Pay&GO accounted for 12 per cent of all single ticket sales in Budapest.
Research conducted by Mastercard showed that 26 per cent of ticket buyers had already tried the service, while 46 per cent of respondents had heard about it. Among those who used the system, 70 per cent expressed satisfaction with the experience.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony previously said at the 22 April launch event that the city aims to introduce contactless ticket purchasing across all public transport vehicles in the Hungarian capital by 2028.
Responding to questions from the press during the conference, Berkes said the Budapest Transport Centre had already launched a public procurement procedure for the capital’s future electronic ticketing system. He added that Mastercard hoped to remain involved through the open tender process and continue developing the service.
Plans call for contactless ticket purchasing to be introduced across Budapest’s entire bus and tram network in the coming years. Mastercard’s card-based transport solutions are already used in more than 900 transport systems across over 250 cities worldwide.
Under the system, passengers can purchase a ticket by tapping a bank card or smart device on dedicated validators placed next to traditional ticket validation machines at metro station entrances. During ticket inspections, travellers can verify their purchase using the same bank card or device used for payment.
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