The ups and downs of BKV

Budapest’s municipality-run public transportation company has a controversial service quality and a controversial reputation. Moni Oyeyele reports on the bright and shady sides of BKV.


My favorite one is the tall, dark-haired ticket inspector, in his late 30s, on the 173 bus.
He seems to be always in good mood, and likely to have very strong nerves. When he catches someone, he often makes it to a funny scene, teacher-to-a-nasty-boy style, rather than humiliating the person. And he never forgets to wish you “good health”, when you are checked.
On the same line, however, you can find totally opposite styles of checkers as well. From the rude, fat woman who sarcastically calls you “drágám” (darling) when you call her attention to the ticket machine’s out-of-order status, to the little old lady, who always exchanges some light chatter with young mothers, and lets poor foreign students travelling without ticket get away, there seem to be all walks of people working as checkers.
Indeed, one can have such a wide range of experiences with BKV, that makes me really wonder, what criteria they have to meet, when applying for the job. To me, it seems that they all have two unifying features: their majority do not seem to speak foreign languages, and they seem to earn very, very little.
“There is a basic salary, which is somewhat higher than the national minimum wage (currently Ft69.500),” V, who preferred to remain anonymous as the company strongly discourages employees to give interviews, explains.
“You can get a small extra if you are willing to work during the night, and some premium if you have good friends at good places. And after every fine paid by a passenger, you get a Ft60 commission.”
V says that the majority of BKV’s income is spent on PR activities, the development of Metro 4, and the high salaries of top officials.
Only a little remains to pay a decent salary for drivers, inspectors, cashiers and other colleagues who actually do the most of the work. Still, these are the people who have to face the difficulties of the daily operation, and consequently, they are the ones most likely to meet passengers’ complaints and criticisms.
“BKV never cares about the employees, only for itself”, V claims. “The management is too deeply involved by organising, and re-organising their own circles, that it disallows them to see the real problems: the lack of proper vehicle maintainance and that of the proper salary and professional-personal development of the workers.”
A typical foreign passenger’s complaint, for example, that most inspectors and cashiers don’t speak English, and sometimes it results in odd situations with tourists, during which the inspectors become impatient and ill-mannered.
“Some time ago, there was an internal poll over who wanted to learn English at the company”, recalls V. “Eighty-five percent showed willingness and interest. They found this out, and this was it: nothing has happened ever since.”
No co-op with the watchdog
Indeed, things seem to change at an extremely slow rate at BKV. As Mihály Gál, editor of the Internet blog BKV Figyelô (BKV Watchdog) informs, he receives 10-15 emails from passengers daily, mainly complaining or commenting on one or other service of the company. Then, he forwards many of the mails to the BKV.
“But the relationship between the blog and the BKV is zero”, he complains. “Unfortunately, they simply do not want to communicate or co-operate. At the moment, all BKV-employees are formally banned from communicating with me.”
Gál started the blog in the spring of 2007, with the purpose of introducing the passengers’ opinions and suggestions for improving the service to the management of BKV.
A few weeks after the launch, the blog won a high media attention, to the extent that several media published the posts and comments in the largest newspapers in Hungary, and issues of many posts were displayed by the national TV channels as well. Today, BKV Figyelô has about 3-400 regular readers monthly.
Gál was only 17 at the time of starting the blog. He recalls writing a number of letters to the BKV, commenting on the service and suggesting ideas for development. He says he never received a single response, that is why he started the blog.
“First it started as a hobby, but in a few months, it is likely to become my workplace”, says Gál. “I am not a transportation engineer, and I am also very young, but I still have my experience and opinion, just like you or anyone else. And I claim that although the prices of BKV have caught up with the EU-level, the quality are far below that level.”
“My opinion is in harmony with that of most passengers: the system is unpunctual, dirty, and very outdated. Furthermore, the ticket system is unjust: you must pay the same amount for 3 stops as for 20 stops, and you can not transfer. In Bratislava for example, you travel less, you pay less. The tickets are time-based and transfer is allowed.”
According to the young blogger, BKV management blames the company’s financial shortage on those who travel without tickets; meanwhile a huge amount of their income goes to unknown companies with questionable contracts.
Great network, great prices
“Talking of dodgers, BKV’s present policy is to fine them”, explains Gál. “My policy is that everyone should pay only for what they use. Why can’t we create zones of Budapest and sell zone tickets, for example? Most of the dodgers complain of the expensive ticket prices. I am sure if the BKV provided them with more beneficiary prices, a large percentage of them would stop dodging.”
Judit Kiss, a single mother of three from Pest’s district XIV, is ashamedly telling me that she’s unable to buy a monthly pass. Every day, she travels on the trolley with her two schoolgirls without passes, carrying the third one, who does not need a pass yet, as he is under six.
“I am sorry, I just can’t – I live on minimum wage, and should pay two student pass and an adult pass, amounting up to Ft15,750 – tell me how could I manage that? I feel bad, honestly, and whenever I get caught, I tell this to the inspectors. So far, they have seemed to be understanding; in the worse case, they send us out of the trolley.”
Besides, Kiss is highly frustrated by the fact that, meanwhile, BKV can not offer a beneficiary pass for people of low income, since they do give 100% discount to every politician.
Alongside their scantinesses, BKV does have a good feature, which both Gál and Kiss could agree upon: their network.
“It is fantastic that I can almost get to anywhere from anywhere with a maximum of three changes within the city”, the young mother enthuses. “Even looking at the BKV grid on the map pleases me.”
Nadia Kafkova, a young television editor from Bulgaria, strongly agrees. “As a foreigner I use the BKV very often. I tell you that you have a really good working system, far better then in Sofia, for example. First of all, the vehicles are much newer and cleaner, secondly, you have the 24-hour running lines, which is a bliss.”
As Kafkova explains, Budapesters can be also pleased with the increasing number of schedule displays and other important information, more and more often written in English and in German, and the ticket automats placed on a couple of buses, trams or at stops as well.
“It is important that non-Hungarian-speaker expats should get accurate information from the company,” Mihály Gál suggests. “But in the lack of those infos, they should also be very very attentive, and they should not give an opportunity to inspectors for provocation. If there is any problem, they should ask for the help of Budapesters; I am sure there are many people willing to help them.”

The BpSun Staff

03.12.2008