Budapest’s night-time public transport network will undergo a major overhaul from 1 July, bringing more frequent services, improved connections and easier travel between the city centre, outer districts and surrounding suburban communities, Transport and Infrastructure Minister David Vitézy announced on Monday.
Vitézy said the reform builds on earlier efforts to modernize Budapest’s overnight transport system. He recalled that expanding the city’s night bus network was one of the most significant achievements of transport advocacy groups two decades ago, while the introduction of the 24-hour tram line 6 after 2010 proved highly successful. However, he noted that the capital and its metropolitan area have changed considerably since then, with population growth in both outer districts and neighbouring towns creating new mobility demands.
According to the minister, planning for the redesigned network has been carried out over the past year in cooperation with the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK), including several rounds of public consultation. The aim is to create a clearer network with more direct routes and services that better resemble the daytime transport system, while also extending night-time coverage to additional residential areas.
A key element of the project is the closer coordination of Budapest’s night services with regional Volán buses serving the metropolitan area. Vitézy described this as an important step toward treating Budapest and its surrounding settlements as a single transport region, arguing that the challenges posed by suburban expansion require integrated solutions.
The upgraded network is expected to make travel to and from the city’s outer districts easier during the night while also complementing the extended operating hours of Budapest’s metro system. Passengers will have more direct access from central locations, including Deák Ferenc Square, to several suburban destinations.
New arrangements will improve connections to Budaörs, Törökbálint, Budakeszi and the Zsámbék area through the introduction of routes 922 and 988, which will pass through key city-centre locations before continuing into the western suburbs. Services to Budaörs and Törökbálint will operate every 30 minutes in both directions overnight.
Direct night-time links will also be established between central Budapest and the Gödöllő region. Services will depart from Deák Ferenc Square and travel through Örs vezér Square, Cinkota, Szilasliget and Mogyoród before serving the centre of Gödöllő.
Passengers travelling to Szentendre, Budakalász and Pomáz will benefit from more frequent overnight services. The first post-midnight departure of route 943 will leave directly from Deák Ferenc Square, while later journeys will connect with incoming city-centre services to ensure hourly access throughout the night.
Pécel will receive a faster and more direct connection through the new route 969, operating hourly from the city centre. Meanwhile, services to Gyál will be reorganized to provide easier transfers and more comprehensive coverage of the town.
The changes will also improve transport links to Nagykovácsi and Solymár, with coordinated hourly services and better connections from central Budapest. In addition, overnight services to Szigetszentmiklós will be increased to hourly frequency, with all routes covering the entire town rather than terminating earlier at Lakihegy.
Vitézy said BKK would publish detailed information about the Budapest-specific later. The redesigned network is the result of joint work between BKK and the MÁV-Volán group and is scheduled to take effect on 1 July.
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