BKK reports 48,000 checks in five joint October operations

BKK, the police and Budapest's municipal enforcement service conducted five joint public-transport inspection operations in October, totalling 48,107 passenger checks. The 6 November statement provides a monthly account of measures affecting Budapest passengers, rather than a representative survey of the entire network.

BKK's September account reported 63,397 checks in four operations. Our calculation puts October's count 24.12% lower: we divided 48,107 by 63,397, subtracted one and multiplied by one hundred. Differences in locations and timing prevent this comparison from establishing changes in either fare evasion or crime.

The number of checks measures events; the same passenger may encounter inspectors more than once. The operation count should therefore also be distinguished from the number of participants or unique people checked. We have not added the separately reported work of coordinators because the extent of overlap is unknown.

For passengers' practical obligations and travel planning, our articles on the change in penalty fares and digital timetable displays provide background. Joint checks will continue; when the next monthly account appears, routes, time spent and consistently defined counts should be examined together.

Monthly figures would be more comparable if the account also reported staff-hours devoted to inspections. Changes in activity could then be related to resources used, rather than only to the number of operations.