Budapest is preparing to launch a redesigned Bubi bike-sharing system that will significantly expand the city’s public cycling network, introducing electric bicycles for the first time while offering low-cost monthly subscriptions.
Under the new pricing structure, users will be able to purchase a monthly pass for standard bicycles for HUF 2,500 (around €6.30), while access to the new fleet of electric-assisted bicycles will cost HUF 3,500 (€8.80) per month.
Standard bicycles will continue to offer the first 30 minutes of every journey free of charge, while users of electric bicycles will pay HUF 60 (€0.15) per minute after unlocking.
Fleet to nearly double
The upgraded Bubi system will launch with 3,300 bicycles, including 800 electric bikes, making it the largest fleet in the history of the scheme. The expansion represents a significant increase from the current MOL Bubi network, which operates approximately 1,900 conventional bicycles across more than 200 docking stations throughout Budapest.
A new chapter after MOL Bubi
The upgraded system marks the biggest transformation of Budapest’s public bike-sharing network since MOL Bubi was relaunched in 2021. That relaunch proved highly successful, with registrations increasing several-fold after subscription fees were sharply reduced and the mobile application simplified.
According to BKK, annual usage has continued to grow since then, with the system now recording millions of trips each year, making bike sharing an increasingly important part of Budapest’s public transport ecosystem.
Bike-sharing has become an increasingly important component of mobility across European capitals, with cities such as Paris, Vienna and Warsaw also expanding fleets and introducing electric bicycles in recent years.
