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Hungary

Budapest

Buda and Pest face each other across the Danube. The M1 metro has run since 1896 — continental Europe's oldest.

Taxi (személytaxi)

Taxi fares are fixed by the city - one official tariff, the same at every hour and every operator. Uber and Bolt dispatch the same yellow licensed taxis, so the app's figure is only an estimate; the meter decides.

Updated on August 5, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Book by app or phone
    You can flag one down or use a rank, but BKK recommends ordering by app or phone - a booking leaves a record.
  2. 2
    At the airport, use the rank in front of the terminal
    Book at the stands by the Terminal 2A and 2B entrances and board at the rank in front; ignore anyone touting inside.
  3. 3
    Check the yellow car and its stickers
    The cars are yellow and the left front door reads "minősített budapesti taxi" - don't get into one without it.
  4. 4
    Watch the meter start
    The meter starts after you get in and stops at your destination; the tariff table is posted on the dashboard and rear doors.
  5. 5
    Pay what the meter shows
    Pay the amount on the meter as you get out - cash or card both work, and paying by card costs nothing extra.

Typical costs

How the meter adds up4

Base fare (alapdíj)
A fixed official price, not a ceiling - VAT included, and it cannot be marked up or discounted.
1,300 HUF ≈ $4
Per kilometre
In force since 1 August 2026, and identical at every hour of the day and for every operator.
520 HUF ≈ $2
Per minute in slow traffic
Charged instead of the distance rate whenever the car is moving slower than 15 km/h.
130 HUF ≈ $0.4
Base fare for airport trips
Applies in either direction whenever the pickup point or the destination is Ferenc Liszt airport.
2,100 HUF ≈ $6

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

You can flag one down or take one at a rank, but BKK recommends ordering by app or phone - a booking leaves a record.

Payment

Tap to ride
Every taxi must have a terminal, and charging extra for card payment is banned
App tickets Unverified
You order in the app and the figure it shows is only an estimate
Cash
You can pay the metered amount to the driver in cash

Quick facts

Fares from
1,300 HUF+

Heads-up

  • Board only cars with the full set of taxi markings

    Do not get into a car that lacks the full set of markings. A licensed Budapest taxi is yellow, carries a "minősített budapesti taxi" sticker on the left front door, has yellow number plates, displays the official fare table on the dashboard and both rear doors, and shows the car's registration and the driver's licence number on the rear side windows. BKK's own advice is to board only cars with these stickers, and to order by app or phone.

  • Book the contracted taxi at the terminal stands

    Ignore anyone touting for a taxi inside the terminal. The airport itself warns that non-contracted operators working the building may not be subject to the fare rules above. The contracted service is booked at the stands by the Terminal 2A and 2B entrances, and you board at the ranks in front of them.

  • A trip out of the city may be charged for the return leg

    For a ride that leaves Budapest, the decree lets the operator charge the same fare for the return leg back to the city boundary. So a trip out of town cannot be estimated from the one-way distance - ask the driver for a total before you set off. Journeys that stay inside the city are unaffected.

Timetable

Typical duration With public transport this dense, a taxi is really for late nights, heavy luggage, or trips out past the network
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka