This year’s Car-Free Weekend will mark the first opportunity for Budapest residents to see BKV’s brand-new bus. Alongside the soon-to-be-launched Mercedes-Benz Citaro K, several special vehicles from the company’s fleet, including numerous heritage vehicles, will be showcased at the event.

The programmes of European Mobility Week, which started on Tuesday, highlight environmentally friendly and sustainable transportation. Europe’s largest transport and environmental campaign is being held in Budapest for the twenty-fourth time, with BKV joining again this year. On 20 and 21 September, during the Car-Free Weekend, at locations stretching from Kálvin Square to the Buda bridgehead of the Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd), as well as along the lower embankment of Pest, the company will display several vehicles from its rolling stock to demonstrate that choosing public transport is a real step towards a sustainable future.

Introducing the new Maximidi Bus

The first unit of BKV’s new maximidi-sized buses, which arrived in Budapest this week, will be on display at Kálvin Square. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro K bus features safety and comfort equipment meeting modern standards; an ergonomic passenger area, onboard cameras, a state-of-the-art passenger information system and LED energy-saving interior lighting. The fleet of 65 vehicles will gradually enter service in the capital city, renewing eight percent of the bus fleet.

A journey through time with past and present vehicles

Besides the new bus, the Car-Free Weekend will feature trolleybuses, buses and trams that run in daily service, including KCSV, T5C5, modernized T5C5 and CAF 3/5 trams, Mercedes Sprinter minibuses and solo 4G SST12 trolleybuses. Visitors will also be able to board several vehicles from BKV’s heritage fleet, including this season’s new addition, the IK556 bus, the heritage tram No. 611, the 3720 one-way FVV Bengáli tram and the ZIU9 heritage trolleybus. The event will also showcase BKV’s special measuring tram, where the crew will give small group demonstrations and children can enjoy the double-articulated playbus as well as take a ride on the mini Ikarus 60.

Public transport for a more livable city

BKV is committed to the development and greening of the capital city. The company’s 10,000 employees work daily to ensure that public transport is not only environmentally friendly but also a comfortable and convenient alternative to private cars, through renewing the bus and trolleybus fleet, introducing new CAF trams and reconstructed metro lines. For comparison, the carbon dioxide emissions of the M2 metro line are only one-eighth of what it would be if the same distance was covered by car, while a diesel bus produces less than half of that amount and a tram produces less than a quarter.

BKV Zrt.