Debt-ridden Budapest transport company BKV is planning to spend as much as Ft 100 million (over €432,000) on a new public image campaign, writes OrientPress, based on a (print-only) article in daily Magyar Nemzet. While the company has a debt of Ft 80 billion and annual losses amounting to Ft 15 billion, it is about to waste more money and even break laws by launching its biggest-ever PR campaign, the paper quoted Christian Democrat Budapest representative Zsolt Wertán as saying.
Wertán said he thinks it is “amazing” that the Budapest government-owned company does not even try to keep up appearances any more, adding that the tender announcements available on its website do not fully conform to Hungary’s procurement laws.
The BKV says the planned campaign is made necessary by a need to create a new look for Budapest and the Metro 4 project.
“even break laws by launching its biggest-ever PR campaign”.
Good, then we expect Christian Democrat Budapest representative Zsolt Wertán to make a Police report on this. Seems like an easy case.
I like the BKV. One of the few pleasant surprises after returning from the USA was Budapest public transportation. It has actually improved in the past 20 years. Schedules posted in every bus or tram stop, there’s not too much wait and I almost always find a seat. Instead of getting stuck in traffic, I can read a book. It sure beats driving.
I also like the nice and clean Subway in BP. The NYC subway is dirty, ugly, paint is peeling off the walls, it’s hot and stinky down there, and when it rains, it rains in the subway too. BP subway is a work of art compared to NYC.
I left my cars in NY, I figured for the price of shipping to Hungary I can buy one here. So far I didn’t really need one, BKV works for me like a charm. I just rent a car when I really need one, public transport is faster, cheaper and no parking problems, etc.
If the BKV spends a little money on advertising, and get more people to leave their cars at home, I’m all for it.
The BKV should be able to keep the current quality of service, even with government support if needed.
I’m sure a lot of money could be saved at BKV, not by cutting services, but by better management. Billions are wasted on so called “studies” and bad purchases and sales of assets. Instead of spending billions supporting
online stores for successful companies, the government should spend more on the BKV.
The level of coverage is superb.
The gov’t could also make it possible for the BKV to supplement their income by taking snaps of drivers violating the bus lane law – giving them say a 50% finders fee.
And rather than more studies and an advertising campaign, how about electronic tickets – one could simply top these up (like London’s Oyster card) and have the “bills” sent on to the company rather than having to wait on line to buy tickets and then manually fill in an invoice.
Ticket inspectors would just have to swipe through a carriage to find non-fare payers; and those who didn’t swipe would automatically have their accounts deducted 6K – and those without cards – could have themselves impounded – not unlike the new law proposed for foreigners who don’t pay the motorway fee.
Rolrox: “have themselves impounded”.
That would demand a big parking lot for all those foreigners. The cost for food, water and sanitation could soon go over the top. Cars are not so demanding, when parked.
Problem is also that, in difference to cars, people have civil rights. Detention is seen as a rather draconian measurement and demands due legal process.
But it was a funny suggestion.
Was not BKV to introduce a new ticket system some time ago? For 4-6 BHUF?
@V.”Civil Rights”-I’ve been accosted by the same ticket inspectorix (an old grumpy lady who obviously drinks Horlicks to soothe her otherwise nasty self to sleep) several times. Even though I was in the right, I was treated rudely on every occassion… So perhaps I’m stretching the thought that BKV might also implement draconian measure as they already have House Dragons patrolling the sysetm….
I guess impounding cars for speeding isn’t draconian, just sensible as the offenders could get away…
the change to the ticketing has been to print (what is sometimes unreadable) on the ticket while also taking a bite out of it… A laughable improvement given what technology is available. And this whole “improvement” (1980s technology implemented in 2005…) doesn’t deal with the other bottlenecks and pilferage points – eg. printing the bureacratic nightmare of the HU VAT receipt – or replacing people with automated barriers to the Metro…
Now what one might question is who got paid off to implement that 25 year old system in Bp? Perhaps that will follow on from the latest Siemens probe.