Budapest, 27 January 2025 – Unified management and appearance, concerted action and assistance: the municipal companies have joined forces to strengthen passenger security, and the participants in the coordinated activities will carry out their work under the umbrella organisation of the Budapest Passenger Security Service. In the integrated system, the newly created BKK law enforcement service and the Budapest public space supervisors work in a coordinated way for passengers, in addition to the previously existing BKK and BKV security services. The 24-hour dispatch centre, which manages the units' activities, allows a faster response in case of problems, and passengers will also experience a continuous staff presence on priority lines (e.g. trams 4 and 6). The jointly managed Budapest Passenger Security Service is not only responsible for improving the sense of security and travel comfort of customers, but also provides assistance to people in socially difficult situations who are excluded from travelling due to violations of travel conditions (e.g. soiled clothing, begging, intoxication), in cooperation with the capital's homeless services and NGOs.
On 1 January 2025, in accordance with the new organisational and operational rules of the Budapest Municipality's Public Space Supervision Directorate (FÖRI), the BKK Law Enforcement Department was established, which currently has 39 staff members who work on board vehicles and at stops of public transport services. The number of security officers will be steadily increased to a total of 75. The newly created unit will work in coordination with the property and security guards of BKK and BKV (Budapest Transport Company), and will be complemented by municipal public space supervisors; all operating within the Budapest Passenger Security Service system, with more than 50 staff members on duty at any one time to monitor public transport.
Municipal companies working together for passenger security
„For BKK, security is a top priority, and for years security guards have been keeping order on the busiest surface lines and at bus stops”, said Dr. Katalin Walter. BKK's CEO also explained that the transport organising company has been providing a personal and property guard service on street-level transport since 2009, while BKV's security service monitors order on the metro network. „The operation of BKK's Security Service has become more efficient in recent years thanks to the company's data-driven assessments, which have led to a three-fold increase in the number of measures undertaken. According to customer satisfaction surveys, the overall feeling of security of passengers on BKK's lines has also increased. From December 2022 onwards, BKK has targeted its security and patrol presence more strongly to those lines where incidents threatening the security of property and persons are more likely to occur, based on the number of incidents per area, per line and per time of day”, she added.
In addition, since 2021, the company has been carrying out regular priority checks in strategic partnership with the Budapest Police Headquarters, which are joined by FÖRI and BKV staff - so there is nothing new about the joint action of different organisations in the field of passenger security. (It is important to note that public safety is still a state responsibility, with which the police force is tasked.)
The experience of previous passenger security measures and the joint activities of the municipal companies have been very helpful in launching the Budapest Passenger Security Service, which requires even closer cooperation between the companies concerned (FÖRI, BKK and BKV) and is complemented by the established BKK Law Enforcement, which has been in preparation for several months and is being continuously developed based on customer feedback.
New feature in BudapestGO
From March, a new feature in the BudapestGO journey-planning and ticketing application will give passengers the possibility to directly alert the dispatch centre of the passenger security service in cases requiring law enforcement intervention (panhandling, drunk or intoxicated person, etc.) and call Emergency Telephone Number 112 in situations directly threatening the safety of persons and property. In the coming period, BKK will place great emphasis on informing passengers in order to ensure effective use of the security service: it is important that they continue to call 112 immediately in the event of an accident or emergency, such as passenger health emergency, vandalism, aggression, etc.
At present, passengers can request assistance from law enforcement staff, or from the security guards, directly or, if they are not in the vicinity, through the driver or ticket inspector, in cases requiring intervention. The former will act immediately, the latter will call for assistance via the dispatching service.
The joint 24-hour dispatching service plays a key role in the efficient dispatching of staff, who will direct the fastest arriving unit to the scene, including a member of BKK’s car-based traffic-disruption response team along with a law enforcement officer.
Not just law enforcement work
If the security staff take action in relation to a socially vulnerable person, they will arrange for the person's further care with the help of the Budapest Methodological Centre of Social Policy and its Institutions (BMSZKI), the city’s homeless care organisation, and the staff of contracted civil partners: the “Menhely” Shelter Foundation, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and the “Oltalom” Charity Society.
„In the new system, the staff of the different units are not only responsible for improving the customers' sense of security and travel comfort, but also for providing assistance to people in socially difficult situations. Since 2022, the company has been cooperating with the Shelter Foundation, under which BKK staff on board the public transport services notify the dispatching service of the organisation if they see a person in need of assistance or accommodation", said the CEO of BKK, pointing out the complex problems encountered in public transport.
The staff of the Budapest Passenger Security Service (law enforcement officers, security and property guards) will wear a common uniform, i.e. high-visibility yellow vests, to facilitate identification.
Dr. Katalin Walter also underlined that BKK will adapt the measures to the experiences and feedback of public transport users. "Based on these, it can be said that the feeling of safety of passengers is greatly enhanced by the cameras installed on the vehicles. Therefore, about 70 percent of the vehicles fleet operated in the BKK service area are already equipped with cameras, and all new purchases are subject to the condition of having the equipment, so BKK will continue to increase the proportion of vehicles with on-board cameras as new vehicles enter service."
The CEO also added that as of 9 December 2024, the company has provided ticket inspectors, passenger coordinators and BKK Security Service staff with 50 body cameras, and the aim is that in the light of experience and financial possibilities, the number of cameras will not only be increased on vehicles in the future, but that the technology will also assist the work of more ticket inspectors, passenger coordinators and BKK Security Service staff.
