Authorizing Budapest GO App

First, I FORBID you to buy 450 ft individual ride tickets in a city where you will depend farily heavily on public transportation and hopping on and off at will. I dont care what EL RICK says.

You WILL be purchasing a 24 HOUR (5.000 ft) or a 72 HOUR (5.500 ft) TRAVELCARD or, if you will be in town more than 72 hours you will buy a 15 DAY BUDAPEST PASS (5.950 ft). 5.500 ft is about $14.75, 5.950 ft is about $16.00. So if you are in town for 4 days on a 15 day pass it is costing you $4 a day. You cant beat that with a stick.

NONE OF THOSE IN THE PAPER FORM REQUIRE VALIDATING ("authroizing"). You just get on and off as you wish and show the pass if an inspector requests. I prefer paper and i can tell you where to get a paper pass if you want. Easy and convenient.

In the BudapestGO version,
How to use Travelcards and Passes.
If you are using a 24-hour or a 72-hour travelcard, Use the widget function to keep your travelcard on the home screen of your mobile https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/budapestgo/

In otherwords, your phone has to be convenient and you have to be able to show it when asked by an inspector.

Until I turned 65 I used paper passes, just a heck a lot easier than screwing with a phone and an impatient inspector. But both work.

OH, until I turned 65 ........... then everything became free. Free for me and free for everyone 65 or older. Just show any old picture ID with your birth date on it. In the last year, I have never had an inspector actually try and read the ID I hold up.

Check your private messages. I will send a bit more on the public transportation system.

Oh, heck. Do you want to buy individual tickets? Okay here is what to do: https://youtu.be/SSLgSQ31igE?si=SQIXsgJLpzmu_EG_ its an expensive pain in the arse.

Hey, how do you spot a tourist on the metro? They are the ones validating individual tickets... is how.

Please do read the website. You must follow the rules or you will be fined The fines are steep. There is no grace for a tourist. There are no exceptions. https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/information-about-penalty-fares/

Here’s a link to a thread where I answered some questions about the BudapestGo app. It’s a bit dated, but last month it looked like people were still doing some of this.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/budapestgo-app-and-buying-correct-ticket

Edit: Other than only being there for a few hours, I can’t see much use for the individual tickets and the trouble with validating them on a tram (the metro isn’t as hard if you are paying attention).

About every 10 days or so I watch tourists screwing with the tram validation machines. Sometimes without sucess. HINT: The older trams have manual machines. The slot you put the ticket in is also a handle (which is not really obvious) Pull down ... and hard till you feel the paper ticket has been perforated. The othere are electric and will buzz when they stamp yur ticket. Be sure you put the ticket in the machine in the correct direction. There is no instruction on that but it is almost obvious which end goes in.

Paper passes are available at the airport arrivals hall at the BKK office, at Keleti BKK office in the lower area at Nyugati BKK at the lower area, at Deak Fernec ter metro station near the exit stairs to the 47/49 trams, among other places.

TTM, i don't like you guys. Tram, bus, metro doors only stay open 10 to 15 seconds and you BudapestGO people are blocking the doors trying to get your phone to work so you can scan the QR. You should all be old like me! And not have to deal with it.

Thanks to all of you for the great advice. h

Getting a familiarity with the trams that go to the torist sights and the M1 metro (at least) will make the visit a breeze. And dont think of the trams as public transportation. They are Budapest's better solution to the HOHO busses. Large windows, generally not crowded on the tourist routes, many old time trams with a lot of character. Its part of the experience and it can be fun. Almost everything in Pest is within 200m of a tram stop or a stop on the M1 metro. Even the M1 is sort of an experience. The oldest underground on the continent it still has some of the original character. Tiny cars are more like something from Disney and the they play mario brothers sounding music when the doors close.

I come from a land with no public transproation and it was sort of unsetteling the first time. But even for me, once I rode one leg and made a change or two to a connecting tram, i became a pro. The routes really are a lot more simple than the diagrams make them look and if you do get on one going the wrong way, you see something new. The period architecure of Budapest goes on for miles and miles and miles and its all facinating. So, get off and hop one the other direction. Its free cause you bought a pass.

"First, I FORBID you to buy 450 ft individual ride tickets" I was having a Mr. Wonderful moment.

Ok pardon the question as it may seem obvious…
If I purchase the 15 day pass online through the app do I only have to show it if asked or do I have to scan the QR when using?
It is my understanding that if I buy the paper pass (at the airport) I do not have to scan only show when asked.
The benefit of buying online is I can purchase in advance before I have been up for 25 hours. If I can avoid the stop at the BKK airport booth then I’ll also purchase my 100E tkt and screen shot in case I don’t have a connection. Does that sound like it would work?
This would be so much easier if I was just a wee bit older.

There is absolutely nothing “obvious” about the digital pass (on the app). Ha!

1. If you purchase a paper pass, you can tuck it away and only get it out if asked by an inspector (and it will happen at some point, so you have to be sure to have it with you).

2. If you buy a pass on the Budapest Go app, you will have to scan the metro station/tram QR code each time you board. That means you need data and your phone must not run out of battery.

The QR code is on the validating machine in metro stations (slightly different places but before you board and not hard to find). On trams and busses, it’s beside the door.

You open the app, hold your phone in front of the QR code and you are off.

Mr. E seems a bit lost in space today lol, but it IS a hassle to the those behind them when people don’t think to plan 3 seconds ahead to open the app - and then they stand right in front of the doors while they do so…. It is easy to stand to the side to scan and THEN board.

Conclusion: the paper pass is easier. But if you are like me, I lose little pieces of paper so before I got old and became free, I liked the app pass. I also changed purses to something a touch larger (last time I was using the pass, I only carried a phone case) so I might not lose it now - except getting it out and putting it away.

Thank you TTM. I imagine Mr. E is asleep.
The paper pass sounds much easier over the course of the week. My chances of hanging on to the piece of paper are greater than remembering to scan each time given I’ll be traveling with my “free” guy.
I’ll just go to the BKK booth upon arrival.

Renee, it’s a case of “know thyself”. Ha!

You can buy your 100E bus ticket at the same time as your pass, if you plan to get into town that way. :)

I am very simple minded. When somethng as easy as getting on a bus requires so much discussion, I look for the easy way .... paper.

Even when to scan is not straight forward.

• If you go here: https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/budapestgo/
• And scroll down to “If you are using a 24-hour or a 72-hour travelcard” and I presume that this applies to the 15 day card as well.
• And look at this diagram: https://bkk.hu/static/content/2022/03/travelcards.png
• It says that with a TravelCard you only have to scan the QR Code at the Metro Station and when getting on a bus where front door loading is mandatory (they generally only do that in the evenings. The sign on the front of the bus will say front door only if it is the case).

For the paper pass a large number of the locals have their phones in cases with clear backs on them, and the pass is under the clear back. Years ago I use to use one of these https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Lanyard-with-ID-Badge-Holder-3Pcs-Lanyard-Neck-Strap-with-Card-Holder-Black-Lanyard-for-Keys-School-Office-Lanyard-for-Women-Men_d68e8a81-361d-42fc-bf3f-5ce1bdf13a23.c8594fb4f6e957158b3a6612961d242f.jpeg?odnHeight=768&odnWidth=768&odnBg=FFFFFF Which you can buy at Walmart.

Still the best solution is to just to get old. So start working on that.