Why should I pay when I present a valid pass with a matching ID card after inspection?
To use public transport, it is not enough to buy your pass, you must be able to show it to the inspector together with the identification document specified in the current regulations (pass certificate, student ID or identity card, passport, driving licence in card format, residence permit issued by a Hungarian authority - permanent residence card, residence card, settlement permit, immigration permit, humanitarian residence permit). If you are unable to present your pass and identity card during inspection, we are entitled to charge you a penalty fare. However, you can still obtain a discount on the penalty fare at one of our designated customer service centres within five working days of the issue date of the penalty fare, provided you pay the processing fee and meet the conditions.
What should I do if I cannot obtain or validate the certificate proving the use of the discount within the deadline for the subsequent pass presentation?
Subsequent pass presentation can be done with documents (valid pass and valid photo ID, travel document entitling free travel) that were already in your possession at the time of the inspection, but you could not present them on the spot. According to the regulations, the deadline available for subsequent pass presentation – five working days after the issue date of penalty fare – is not meant to be used for replacing or obtaining the missing documents.
What happens if I ignore the payment notices?
It is not worth ignoring a letter of formal notice, as this does not prevent us from taking further action to recover the money. It is always worth responding to avoid increasing the amount you owe and incurring further legal consequences. If you do not pay despite our reminders, we will issue an order for payment to settle and recover the penalty fare claims, and if we consider it necessary, we will apply to a bailiff. In this case, you will also be liable to pay any costs over and above the penalty fare (legal fees, lawyers' fees, postage and interest up to the date of payment).
Orders for payment are issued electronically through the Hungarian National Chamber of Notaries, which will appoint the notary regardless of the debtor's place of residence. For enforcement proceedings, the bailiff will be determined on the basis of the jurisdiction of the debtor's domicile.
If you do not accept the payment notification, the presumption of service of formal documents is invoked, i.e. you are deemed to have received it and read it, which triggers further recovery action. In a legal proceeding, as a penalty fare payer, you cannot claim that you did not receive the service of the notice because of your own conduct or omission.
If the recovery of the claim has already been handed over to the collection agency, you can negotiate and settle the penalty fare debt there.
Why can't I check all the details by phone? Why can't I retrieve other people's details?
In order to protect your personal data, and in compliance with the Data Protection Act, information can only be provided by telephone if the person concerned is clearly identified on the basis of personal data.
What do I do if the person fined no longer lives where I live, and I don’t know his/her new address?
We can send a reminder to the address provided by the fined person or to the address registered with the Ministry of the Interior. If the person liable for the penalty fare no longer lives at the address given, please let us know in writing their last known address. As a last resort, you may be able to apply for a forced cancellation of address or file a police report for misuse of documents.
What should I do if my documents are stolen, lost and/or misused?
In light of the circumstances of the penalty fare process, we recommend that you report the misuse of personal data and/or personal documents to the police and send a copy of the report to our company
- by email to potdijkezelesbkk.hu
- or by post to BKK Zrt., 1241 Budapest, Pf. 200
I had no penalty fare case, my data are misused, I am innocent. Why should I prove my own innocence and go to the police?
If your personal data or your documents were misused during a penalty fare process, our penalty fare claim against you is based on your personal data. The misuse of personal data is a criminal offence committed to your detriment by the person who provided your data as their own. Accordingly, you are the only person who can file a complaint in order to clear yourself. We will assist you as far as we can, but we are not able to act on behalf of a third party.
I have not received a letter of formal notice; will you send me one?
Already during the penalty fare process – as a first notice – you will receive a cheque and information from the ticket inspector, in which you can find in detail the rules for settling the penalty fare and the consequences of not settling. The reminder letter will be sent after the 30 days allowed for voluntary penalty fare settlement. According to the current Fare Policy, the amount of the penalty fare debt changes after 30 days: it increases with late and procedural fees. The letter of formal notice may be sent by our Company or by our contractual partners (law firms involved in debt recovery, debt collection agencies).
I was fined, I admit it, but my financial means are limited. Can I apply for leniency?
Yes, you can. You can find the conditions and details of how to apply for fairness by clicking here. Please note that the acceptance of your application does not mean that it will be considered positively. It will be assessed individually but according to uniform principles and standards. In principle, we can reduce the burden of the payment obligation by paying in instalments or by granting a moratorium (deferred payment). Documents justifying the application should be attached to the application as soon as it is submitted.
If you have already received a payment order but it has not yet become final, you can apply to the administrator dealing with the case for an instalment payment plan. After the order for payment has become final, you can submit the application for payment by instalments to the holder of the claim, BKK, if justified.
In the case of a claim in the enforcement phase, you should apply for an instalment payment plan to the competent bailiff.
In case of penalty fare for an underage child, will the parent receive the formal notice?
From our point of view, if an underage child is already allowed to use our Company’s services independently based on the decision of the legal representative, then in case of violating the Travel Terms and Conditions, the child can also receive a penalty fare as well. Our Company assumes the relationship of trust between parent and child, so if a penalty fare has been issued, then the underage child will inform his or her legal representative about the resulting payment obligations and will hand over the information leaflet about the responsibilities and options of paying the penalty fare, along with the payment slip (cheque), thus enhancing the timely payment of the penalty fare at a lower cost.
During the penalty fare process, the inspector can only register the child’s data because he or she is the passenger receiving the penalty fare. Yet the underage passenger has no document that can verify the exact name and address of the legal representative. Accordingly, we can send the formal payment notice only to the legal representative of the underage child. Payment notices will be sent to the legal representative after the 30-day-period available for paying the basic penalty fare, but at that point the notice will show an increased amount including the penalty fare, the late payment and procedural fees.
In the case of an order for payment, what is the amount to be paid and how can the debt be settled?
In the case of a final order for payment, you will have to pay the statutory fees and costs. The amount payable under a payment order consists of the penalty fare claim (basic penalty fare, late payment and procedural fee), the procedural fee advanced by our company, the fees of a legal adviser or lawyer and the interest for late payment under the Civil Code until the date of payment. The order for payment shall specify the amount of the payment obligation in full and in itemised form, with the exception of interest. The amount of interest payable is calculated on the basis of the amount of the principal claim, the maturity date of the claim and the date of payment.
The payment order will contain the BKK's bank account number for penalty fare payments, where you can make the payment. Be sure to include the name of the debtor and the case number of the payment order as a remark.
From what age does a child need a validation sticker for the student ID?
According to Article 37 (1) of Government Decree 362/2011 (XII.30) on Educational Identity Cards, the student ID of pupils of compulsory school age is valid without a validation sticker until 31 October of the academic year in which the pupil reaches the age of 16.
How was I supposed to know what to do after being charged a penalty fare?
Our ticket inspectors will be sure to explain to you what to do when the penalty fare is applied. Furthermore, the cheque you receive from them is accompanied by detailed written information on payment options (subsequent presentation of the pass, payment by cheque, bank transfer, payment at designated customer service centres).
Where and how can I file a complaint about a penalty fare?
You can file a complaint about a penalty fare
- by email to bkkbkk.hu
- by telephone on +36 1 3255 25
- by post to BKK Zrt., 1241 Budapest, Pf. 200,
- or in person at our designated customer service centres.
Why don't we fine the homeless?
Of course, our ticket inspectors are also obliged to take action against homeless passengers who are travelling without authorisation and who do not comply with the conditions of travel. However, it is not the responsibility of BKK to deal with homelessness and other social issues, but of the municipality. Based on the amendment of Act LXIII of 1999 adopted on 6 December 2010, the public space supervisors of the Municipal Law Enforcement Directorate of Budapest protect the condition of public transport vehicles and assist (make legally legitimate) the actions of our ticket inspectors performing public duties (taking personal data, excluding unauthorised travellers from travel).
Information on Data Management
BKK’s data management information is available on our website.