easytraveler

There was a recent, rather heated thread about having to pay a fine when caught by the transportation police in Budapest. (Fine is 6000 forints or about $30US)

Here are a couple of websites with good information on how to travel safely in Budapest and how to use the transportation system:

http://hungary.usembassy.gov/tourist_advisory.html

http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.co...-budapest.html

Hope this helps a bit!

LSky

I thought that thread was a hoax. I didn't feel unsafe in Budapest. Then again I didn't stay in 5 (count 'em) star hotels

easytraveler

I didn't think it was a hoax because, if you check VirtualTourist, there have been other incidents predating that one.

Clifton

I wasn't so sure the inspiring thread was on the up and up due to the colorful details and the controversial presentation, but all the same, I would have to think this does happen all the time.

I mean, the validation post is right there where you have to go right past it. Even with being a country boy with very limited exposure to city transport at the time, it all seemed fairly straight up obvious to me. But - despite what someone posted about it saying on the ticket, in English, to validate it, I don't recall that. An Google image search of Budapest metro tickets have shown both sides of a single ticket, but I sure don't see that warning in the pictures.

But ... how could failure to learn the system, failure then to follow the system and finally to blame someone else for that not happen from time to time? Anyone who has spent even the briefest time working with the public can tell you all sorts of stories.

Best to keep getting it out there et, on the off chance this will be the one venue where they actually read and take someone's advice.

easytraveler

Clifton:

Being one not familiar with using these machines, this bit was especially interesting since I would be one of those not pulling on the black knob nor knowing that the machine is clogged.

<i>"On other vehicles (trams, buses, trolley) there' s either the orange box similar to the ones in metro stations or a smaller red box in which you insert the ticket then pull the black part on the top towards you to punch the ticket (a pattern of holes appear on the validated ticket).

<b>Note</b>: the slot on some ticket validation machines is clogged with chewing gum or paper (deliberately done by prank makers) so you won't be able to insert the ticket. Try another machine on the vehicle to validate your ticket."</i>

Clifton

I don't remember the black knob (that's not saying much), but maybe I never encountered one. The ones I recall looked like one or the other of these, where you just stuck the ticket in and could hear it stamp/print the date.

http://bleakhillycoalcountry.com/pic...hinebuda01.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/4...d25df877af.jpg

Once it works (this is true of a single ticket on any non-turnstyle and many turnstyle systems I could recall), it punches a slot in the ticket. Which, frankly *isn't* the most modern way of doing things. Hardly a travesty or unraveling the Di Vinci code, definitely not reason enough to abuse civil servants, but probably not obvious that things worked as expected. But no punched slot, no validation.

See ticket on right for what a validated/punched ticket looks like. Kind of like the old factory time clocks used to work.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2656/...ec4a575d_z.jpg

Clifton

Sorry, to be clear - most systems do NOT punch slots in tickets these days. I just meant that in most systems, something happens to the ticket by putting it in a slot somewhere before boarding that can usually be heard. Most often it's a date stamp... not a punch. But the same basic idea - the ticket becomes marked with that its begun use.

easytraveler

Clifton: it's not my intention to argue about the veracity or not of the previous poster, as neither you nor I know for a certainty whether that event really happened or not.

When I travel, I tend to check into Virtual Tourist's "Warnings and Dangers" Section to see what I should avoid. Not all of these are toxic. Some of the warnings on Budapest are: getting ripped off by "rogue" taxi drivers; going in the wrong direction at Deak Ferenc Ter underground transit; getting stopped by the ticket checkers in the transportation system (note one person says that these checks hardly/never take place on buses - so travel by bus in Budapest! ); questionable areas to avoid. It's all good information for travelers - from other travelers.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...st-TG-C-1.html

All I'm saying is: whether the previous poster was truthful or not, it's good to take notice of the POSSIBLE problems one may have while taking public transportation in Budapest.

If I'm traveling through 5-10 different European cities on one trip, it's easy to forget what to do where.

zwho

Our experience in Budapest was we bought a single ticket for the trolley and never bought another and no one asked us for the one we paid for or any after that when we just hopped on. I guess we could have been in trouble, but we just figured if asked for a ticket we would give them the 1 we had or pay someone for a new one. It really didn't seem like a big deal, and I felt very safe the entire time we were in Budapest.

Clifton

That's all I was saying too et. I wasn't the first to mention the other thread, but wanted to add lots of disclaimers before it became that again. More specifically, to add more info - and what better info that pictures of what to look for?

Info was what you wanted to impart, yes?

Clifton

<I>All I'm saying is: whether the previous poster was truthful or not, it's good to take notice of the POSSIBLE problems one may have while taking public transportation in Budapest. </I>

Agreed! And any other city in the world. Budapest being no exception, that's for sure! That's a great site to read up. I used the same site to brush up on the "dangers" of southern Spain.

nytraveler

I think these rules should be followed for safe travels anyplace in the world where there is a strong tourist infrastructure.

If you're gong someplace out of the way there are a whole other group of rules - many more and much more stringent - if you want to be safe. (Including how to avoid banditos and corrupt police.)

easytraveler

Exactly, Clifton! High fives on being on the same wavelength!

nytraveler: you're absolutely correct. We can't expect everything to be functioning the way they do at home. Precautions are always worthwhile.

I remember the first time I got on a tram in Munich, expecting some kind of conductor/ticket seller to be on board. There was no one else aside from the driver, so I rode all the way to my destination without paying. My friend in Munich was horrified when she heard my story - people just don't do things like that! Not in Munich!

Mathieu

Both the automated orange ticket cancellers and the red ones with the black knob that you pull towards you (or push down - hard - in some cases) are still to be found, but the orange ones are replacing the red. The orange ones print out a cancellation on your ticket, the red ones punch holes. Sometimes. Otherwise they just leave an obviously attempted punch indentation without piercing the ticket. The few red cancellers remaining are likely to be found on older trams and buses but are a dying breed as these vehicles are replaced with newer models.

On my first visit to Budapest in 2004, there were hardly any orange cancellers and I'd struggle with the red ones on the trams. In no time however, several willing hands were showing me how to do it and how it works, so you'd likely never be stuck for trying.

I do agree that it's unreasonable to carry a ticket onto a moving public transport vehicle and not expect to have to cancel it if you haven't already deposited it into a collection till either at the entrance of the station or at the front of the vehicle or to a conductor who is on board the vehicle.