Budapest - Post Report Question and Answers
Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
The mass transit is simply outstanding. Trams, metros, and buses are everywhere and easy to use. We navigated the city without a car for two years with no trouble. Sometimes we had to take a tram to a metro to a bus, but we got around. When we were there, you could buy a single $40 monthly pass that was good for unlimited use on all three forms of transportation. A real bargain. When we were getting ready to depart post, we heard rumors that Budapest will switch to a system where the cost of the ride is deducted from the card balance, as many cities use. I don’t know when this changeover is likely to happen. We used only taxis that the embassy recommended. City Taxi is great and you can schedule them ahead of time, such as for a trip to the airport. We did this many times when our visitors were leaving. We also took FoTaxi from the airport numerous times. The typical charge from the airport to Parliament area was $35 (between 700-800 forint). - Feb 2020
Extremely so and highly utilized. Taxis be careful and utilize the recommended ones from the embassy list or you might get scammed. - Nov 2018
Yes. Alas Uber got ousted though. - Dec 2017
Yes, yes. - Jan 2012
You can purchase a monthly transportation pass that is good for the metro, the tram and busses---it costs something like $40/month. - Apr 2010
Taxis are safe if you call them. Public transport is affordable although slightly less extensive than you might want. Trains are a great way to get around. Keep in mind -- not too much English spoken and this can be an issue in navigating transport. - Feb 2008
