Restructuring the toll system !

From 1 February 2024, buses and coaches will no longer be able to buy motorway stickers: they will be subject to the kilometre-based, pay-per-use toll rules for lorries, in line with an EU obligation. In other words, not only will they have to pay more for using motorways, but they will also have to pay for using main roads (motorways and trunk roads), in proportion to the distance travelled.

Toll revenue is one of the most important financial revenues of the general government. This is one of the reasons given by János Lázár, Minister of Construction and Transport, for extending the toll system to bus companies.

This will make package tours, and indeed all bus travel – labour transport – more expensive, as each kilometre travelled on the roads that are made toll roads will cost extra!

The companies will pass all this on to the customers, as they used to do for the toll sticker, only this will be an incomparably higher cost per year! This cost will be higher than the highest cost item so far, fuel!

“The government’s inflation targets are seriously threatened by the 17.6% inflation target in October and the new tariff increase in January, which will transform the entire toll system. Among others, the Hungarian Road Haulage Association, which represents about two thirds of Hungarian passenger and freight transport companies, and the National Association of Private Road Haulage Companies agreed on this on 25 September 2023. The two professional organisations remain concerned about the unilaterally adopted toll strategy, which ignores professional considerations and which, in their view, has a price-driving effect, further fuels inflation and puts hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises in a critical situation.

The introduction of external-cost charges linked to noise, air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions will mean a further increase in tolls of between 30 and 80 percent, depending on the category of vehicle. This cost increase will lead to a percentage increase in inflation and higher prices for consumer goods, food and services. From February, buses will also be included in the HU-GO system, which will make passenger transport services, such as school trips for Hungarian families, significantly more expensive.”

The professional demands of the stakeholders on the toll system were submitted in time, but unfortunately none of them were taken into account! The EU directive gave us until 2026 to introduce the external-cost charge, but we introduced it immediately!

Instead of 1400 km of toll roads, we will have a toll road network of over 7000 km!

A number of unprofessional decisions have been taken, making no distinction between, for example, minibuses and buses, and charging only on the basis of the number of axles. No toll calculator is available to negotiate contracts for next year.