An internal BKK correspondence proves that at the end of December, the capital city received a final offer from the government to maintain the Budapest pass and to continue the joint operation of agglomeration flights, HÉVs and buses.
Correspondence between Tibor Draskovics, the former minister of finance of the Gyurcsány government and currently the chairman of the board of BKK, and Walter Katalin, the CEO of BKK, reveals:
instead of the unchanged HUF 7.4 billion per year since 2020, the last offer of the ministry led by János Lázár was HUF 8.6 billion.
This was not accepted by the capital and the BKK
on December 31, the contracts expired, the Metropolitan Municipality thus lost its right to shape the timetables of HÉV and agglomeration shuttle buses, and the legal basis of the joint Budapest pass ceased to exist.
From the correspondence, it seems that the capital consciously decided to terminate the cooperation instead of the agreement, for which Mayor Gergely Karácsony immediately blamed the government.
In fact, we don't even understand what's going on. There is a working system that is good for everyone, but maybe not for János Lázár. The financial disputes that arise have nothing to do with the Budapest pass
Gergely Karácsony summed up his position in the RTL news broadcast on January 1st.
However, according to correspondence obtained by Index, the mayor did not tell the truth.
16 percent, which was a lot
Walter Katalin, the CEO of BKK, who has taken over the Index, writes in his letter addressed to BKK's board members: "On December 20, the ÉKM (Ministry of Construction and Transport headed by János Lázár - ed.) informed the capital that it did not wish to extend the agglomeration agreement, since the capital did not agree to pay the claim, which had been completely exaggerated in the meantime (the original 2016 agreement of István Tarlós was HUF 6.5 billion, by 2020 the state had already asked for HUF 7.4 billion, last year managed to close at the same level, this year the state demanded HUF 9.2 billion, and as a final offer HUF 8.6 billion)."
The ministry's proposal therefore meant that, to compensate for the fact that HÉVs and buses from the agglomeration run more frequently in Budapest, and thereby participate in Budapest's public transport,
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the state requested HUF 7.4 billion, which Gergely Karácsony and the government agreed on,
However, by 2023, after three years of inflation and energy prices, the ministry led by János Lázár would have asked for HUF 8.6 billion as a final offer - this would have been a 16 percent increase, which does not seem unrealistic, considering that wage increases and energy prices could only increase in 2023 thus the operating costs of buses and HÉVs.
Mayor Gergely Karácsony reacted to the news of the termination of the Budapest pass in December as follows:
“I hope it's just a joke. Although even that would be rough.”
In 2016, the government took over the operation of HÉV and the so-called "blue Volánbuszok" at the initiative of István Tarlós, the mayor at the time. At the same time, since these flights play a significant role within Budapest, the Csepel HÉV does not even leave the city limits, and the capital still had to contribute to their operation.
The agreement regulating this expired on December 31, 2023, this agreement regulated the acceptance of the joint Budapest pass, and it also included the fact that in exchange for the above funding, the capital has veto rights in determining the timetables, so the government would not be able to reduce the Budapest HÉV or Volanbus frequency, if you want.
These rights and cooperation are now over with the conclusion of the contract.
Former Minister of Finance Tibor Draskovics - who has held the post of BKK president for 4 years on the delegation of Gergely Karácsony, writes in the correspondence:
"Several possible scenarios must be set up and their impact analyzed. I think of this work with a broad horizon, even including the fundamental rethinking of the current tariff policy, the postponement of e-ticket cases, and the role of the BKK."
Walter Katalin, CEO of BKK, states in his letter sent to the entire board of directors:
"we consulted closely with Tibor all the way", referring to the role of former finance minister Ferenc Gyurcsány.
So it seems that Mayor Gergely Karácsony was not telling the truth when he told RTL Klub News on January 1st that
"the financial settlement has nothing to do with the case of the Budapest pass".
It is clear from the correspondence of Walter Katalin, the CEO of the BKK appointed by him: in fact, the government's last offer would have meant a HUF 1.2 billion increase in the cost level that had remained unchanged for three years, which was instead rejected, assuming the consequences for the Budapest pass and the agglomeration cooperation.
Featured image: Tibor Draskovics, Gergely Karácsony and János Lázár. Photo: János Bődey / Index, Zoltán Balogh / MTI, Patrícia Bodnár / Index
