You can still use bubi in the capital after December 23rd

BKK’s public bike service was established in 2014 with the aim of providing a fast, efficient and sustainable transport alternative for those traveling in Budapest. In the years since then, Bubi has become an integral part of urban transport, with the number of users increasing year by year.

A new era is coming soon in the life of Bubi, as BKK’s current service contract expires on December 23, 2025, so the current system is coming to an end. The transformation of Bubi in 2021 brought significant progress to the lives of the characteristic green bicycles and, with it, regular cyclists. In Budapest, all ages now ride Bubis, after the radical renewal of Bubi 1.0, the number of trips increased 5-8 times, in the past 4 years, it has been rented a total of 14 million times, and BKK customers have cycled more than 31 million kilometers with the bikes.

The second generation of Bubi will end before the holidays, but in the meantime, you can cycle with a winter MOL Bubi pass until December 23. After that, a pilot period will start on the morning of December 24, during which the public bike service can be used with a MOL Bubi Pilot pass until February 15. The pass provides half an hour of cycling for 500 forints and will be available regardless of the day of purchase until the end of the pilot. Anyone who would like to cycle for at least 10 minutes during the winter period will definitely want to buy the pass. During the pilot period, customers will either have to purchase the MOL Bubi Pilot pass or, in the case of minute-based use, they will have to re-register their bank card in the application to use the service.

The transition period supports the preparation of the new Bubi

The transition period before the new, larger and more modern generation of Bubi also brings changes for users: unlike before, the bicycles will be available in the VI. In the 6th district, they will be available not only at collection stations, but also at 168 Mobi points (designated public areas where shared micromobility devices, such as bicycles and electric scooters, can be dropped off and picked up in an orderly manner. In addition, in the winter period, the number of bicycles will be reduced by almost half due to weather conditions.

BKK is examining the usage habits of Bubi users in the 6th district as part of the pilot. The test is taking place in Terézváros because it has one of the densest Mobi point coverages, so sufficient data can be generated to prepare for the integration. The company analyzes the collected data anonymously in order to understand usage habits and user needs and optimize the network, thus preparing for the introduction of the new Bubi.

BKK will soon sign the contract with the winning bidder of the public procurement procedure, the new system can be launched within 6 months of signing the contract at the latest, but in case of advance payment, the new bikes could appear on Budapest’s roads even earlier.

Significantly larger fleet, channeling of outer city districts, e-bikes

In the new Bubi system, a significantly larger, flexibly expandable fleet of new bicycles will be available to users, making public cycling even more attractive for those who have not tried it yet.

The new public bike system is planned to have at least 5,000 provides a completely new bicycle, of which at least 1,000 are electrically assisted, and can cover all important transport hubs with at least 30,000 trips beyond the current service area, including all metro stations, in time. The aim of the electrically assisted bicycles is to serve a wider range of users, reaching people for whom the Bubi service has not been a realistic alternative for some reason, but who can now choose it with confidence.

The new service will later reach stops and city districts such as Örs vezér tere, Kőbánya-Kispest, Újpest-városkapu, József Attila-lakótelep, Angyalföld, Zugló or Ðrmező. In addition, the bicycles can now be picked up and dropped off at Mobi points.