The Minister of Construction and Transport spoke openly about his plans at an exclusive club night. According to the newspaper, János Lázár said that so many people had never used MÁV and Volán flights before, and then announced that they would make travel in Hungary completely free for those under 14. Although there is no specific government decision yet, according to Világgazdaság, Lázár's words revealed an intention that can be taken seriously.
The Minister of Construction and Transport gave an almost two-hour speech in the Corporate Club of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK) yesterday in front of the managers and leaders of around half a hundred Budapest companies.
János Lázár did not comment on whether the government's decision regarding free public transport for those under 14 had already been made, rather it seemed from the context that this was a realistic, serious intention. By definition, he did not mention a date for the introduction of the step. He mentioned the plan when he reported to those present about the area of transportation. He said that with the introduction of national and county passes, as many people have never used the MÁV and Volán network as in 2023.
According to him, around 50,000 to 100,000 new season ticket holders appeared in the system who had not used public transport until now. He noted that the fuel price of HUF 600 per liter and traffic jams also played a part in this, but the main reason for the increase was still the record cheap season ticket: a total of more than 3.6 million national and county season tickets have been sold.
According to the head of the ministry, this is an important argument when he asks the government for more money for public transport. That's when he brought up the possibility of free travel for children under 14 years of age. He indicated that, while there are many criticisms of his work in the transport sector, there is no question that so many people have never used the public transport network. This is also an important feedback, because in his opinion, public transport, including the closed track, is in the first place in terms of development.
According to Világgazdaság, the politician admitted that the offered service is at least objectionable, but he thinks it is interesting that, in parallel, the state pays for generous services when it orders capacities from its transport companies. He indicated that about eight hundred billion forints are spent on this every year, but how the service providers deliver is a different matter. He noted that it is difficult to imagine a greener, more environmentally friendly program than what the state spends on financing public transportation.
At the same time, according to the politician, cost-effectiveness is still a key issue. MÁV–Volán's vehicle fleet uses old, terrible amounts of fuel. The proportion of electrified tracks is low, and where there are, their quality is poor. While MÁV's annual energy costs amount to ninety billion forints,
In 2022, this doubled, reaching 180 billion.
Energy costs must be reduced, but this will not happen without the owner, that is, the state, putting money into it. They are open to all technological solutions, be it hydrogen, electric or alternative drivetrains. János Lázár emphasized: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán supports the ideas regarding the replacement of the vehicle fleet and the building of Hungarian production capacities. However, the process is complicated by the fact that all of this should be done at a time when the focus is on reducing the budget deficit.
Photo: MTI/Márton Mónus
