E-HÉV Ticket and MÁV app

With the MÁV mobile application, tickets valid for the section of HÉV lines outside Budapest can be purchased.

The popularity of buying electronic ticket in a few steps on a mobile device is unbroken, and most of the passengers appreciate this convenient and fast solution. The e-trainticket not only makes ticketing easier but also faster: the new option reduces the workload of cash registers and vending machines.

HÉV tickets, County24, and Hungary24 day tickets, as well as County passes, and Hungary passes can be bought for the H5, H6, H8 and H9 HÉV off-border sections. From spring to autumn „Dunakanyar” day ticket can be purchased as well.

The Pest County passes, the Hungary passes, as well as the Pest County24 and the Hungary24 day tickets are valid for the entire length of all suburban railway lines. One way HÉV tickets are only valid for the suburban sections of the railway lines.

The tickets and passes for the Budapest sections of the railway lines can be purchased at the BKK sales points (customer offices, ticket offices, ticket vending machines (TVM)) and via MÁV mobile application (in case of a trip crossing the administrative border of Budapest).

The app is available on devices running iOS (https://apple.co/2XoL0hH) and Android (https://bit.ly/1JMyYp2).
The terms and conditions of using HÉV tickets purchased in the MÁV app can be read here.

For which HÉV line sections can I buy tickets and passes?

Timetables are available for the whole HÉV lines in the application, station departure and arrival times can be found. But tickets and passes are available only for the line sections outside of Budapest. (Please find detailed information about the fares and the administrative boundaries of Budapest at www.mav-hev.hu/en/tickets-and-fares.) For travelling within the administrative boundaries of Budapest, Budapest tickets and passes are needed. Journey planning is also possible for journeys over the administrative boundaries of Budapest. For such journeys, please set one of the travel discounts below:

BKK passes and tickets (only for travelling by HÉV)

If you are entitled to travelling for free in local transport and you have a document verifying it (e.g. an official ID issued by MÁK (Hungarian State Treasury) or ONYF (Central Administration of National Pension Insurance)), it is not necessary to buy a ticket.
If your journey begins or ends in Budapest, the stop name appears on the ticket accordingly. But even in this case, the ticket is valid only for the section outside of Budapest , it’s also emphasised by a notice on the ticket. (HÉV passes are also valid only for the line sections outside of Budapest.) When calculating the prices of tickets and passes available in the MÁV application, the system always takes only the line sections outside of Budapest into account.

Examples:
For a Szentendre – Békásmegyer journey, tickets can be purchased without setting a travel discount.
For a Batthyány tér – Békásmegyer journey, journey planning is available but ticket purchase is not available.
For a Szentendre – Kaszásdűlő journey, journey planning (and ticket purchase for the section outside of Budapest) is available only if the travel discount BKK passes and tickets (only for travelling by HÉV) is set. For this journey, in addition for the ticket purchased in the application, a Budapest ticket or pass, or a proper travel document is also needed.

How to check the timetable and get to know, when the train departs?

Timetables are available for the whole HÉV lines in the application, station departure and arrival times can be found. Please find this information at the Stations and stops section regardless of the location (whether it’s inside or outside of Budapest boundaries). Journey planning is available as usual, at the Domestic ticket section.

Is a ticket valid only on the selected HÉV train? How long are the tickets valid?

Validity period of a ticket is 4 hour and it begins at the scheduled departure time of the selected train from the selected station. The ticket can be used within its validity period on any train serving the given route section, for one single journey. So however it’s needed to select a train while purchasing a ticket, HÉV tickets are not bound to a specific train.

Example:

You want to travel from Szentendre to Pomáz and have a ticket purchased by selecting the train departing at 8:54 on the day of his journey. You are allowed to use the train departing at 8:54 or any train departing later on that day within the validity period of the ticket (even, for example, at 12:34), but not allowed to take a train departing earlier (e.g. at 8:34).

How about bicycles and animals? Can I buy a HÉV ticket for a dog?

Electronic tickets for transporting animals or bicycles are available in the application, if “Bicycle” or “Dog” is selected as passenger. The price of the tickets for transporting animals or bicycles is 500 HUF regardless of the distance.

Are my MÁV-START discounts valid on the HÉV as well?

Some of the discounts valid on the MÁV-START network are not available on the HÉV lines (e.g. Start Klub 50% card). Discounted tickets are available in the application, and in case of HÉV tickets, the system takes only the relevant discounts into account.

Where can I find the HÉV stations in the application? How can I set my destination?

An “H” letter standing after the station name identifies HÉV stations. While searching, start to type the station name (no “Budapest” prefix is needed), and if there are more similar results, select the one with an “H” at the end.
Examples: Filatorigát H, Békásmegyer H, Dunaharaszti külső H, Pomáz H, Aquincum H (not to be confused with Aquincum MÁV station), Gödöllő H (not to be confused with Gödöllő MÁV station) etc.

Is it also possible to purchase a ticket during track maintenance works? Are the electronic tickets, passes also valid for replacement buses?

In case of planned service changes, replacement bus services, timetable information according to the temporary schedule are normally shown in the application as well, but minor differences may occur. This has no impact on the validity of tickets and passes, they are valid on replacement buses too. Due to the schedule differences and particularities of service changes (e.g. different routes of replacement buses), please check the details on information boards or on our website too.

Electronic tickets and passes are also valid on replacement buses in case of non-planned service changes (e.g. disruptions, changes due to an accident or extreme weather conditions).

Can I plan a journey taking both the MÁV-START and MÁV-HÉV services? Are tickets and passes available in the application for such journeys?

Yes, although the journey must contain H8 stations and the transfer station between the HÉV suburban railway service and MÁV-START railway service must be Gödöllő. Otherwise the journeys and tickets must be planned and purchased separately.

Example:

If you want to travel from Ilonatelep to Eger via Gödöllő (taking suburban railway line H8 to Gödöllő, then transferring there to an InterRégió train), you can plan the journey and buy the ticket in one block, simultaniously. But if you are planning a journey from Esztergom to Pomáz, you have to plan the journey in two separate sections and buy one ticket from Esztergom to Acquincum and another one to Acquincum H to Pomáz H – in this case, please bear in mind the time needed for transfers.

What kind of passes are available in the application?

Since 1st of March, 2024 passes aren’t available for suburban railway lines leaving the area of Budapest (H5, H6, H8, H9). Hungary passes and County passes are available in the application. Electronic passes can be refunded via the application before their validity, according to the general rules. To purchase a discounted pass, the proper discounts have to be set (e.g. “students’ ID card, full time or evening course” for a pass between the locations of home and school), then the application automatically offers a discounted pass for the given destination.

Can I get a VAT invoice for my electronic ticket or pass?

An electronic VAT invoice is automatically issued for each purchase in the application. Billing information must be provided or selected at the last step, right before the payment. Please note that discounted tickets and passes can only be purchased for private travel; purchases with an invoice issued for an economic organization do not qualify as private travel, except for legal exceptions. Once the purchase is successful, a confirmation e-mail is sent to the e-mail address set in the application. This e-mail contains the electronic invoice and the electronic ticket (or in case of passes, a receipt containing the main data about the pass). Those can be forwarded for accounting purposes, for example to the employer.

How can I show my ticket or pass for inspection?

HÉV tickets purchased in the MÁV mobile application can be shown for inspection the following ways:

a ticket that has already been downloaded, can be opened in the application and shown on the display of the electronic device
the ticket in PDF form, received via e-mail can be shown on the display of an electronic device
the ticket in PDF form, received via e-mail can also be shown in printed form, on paper

Passes purchased in the MÁV mobile application can only be shown for inspection using the application, on the display of the electronic device. (Receipts of electronic passes are not valid for travel.)

When using application, internet connection is needed only for purchasing, purchased and downloaded tickets and passes can be opened without internet connection as well. For inspection, the ticket or pass has to be opened in the My tickets section of the application, the inspector will scan the code visible on the display, to check its validity. For the successful scanning, you may need to increase the brightness of the screen, which can be easily done using the "flashlight" button in the app. When travelling with an electronic ticket or pass, please make sure that your device has sufficient battery capacity for your entire journey.

If the display of the device is broken, cracked or displays the image incorrectly (e.g. with stripes), this may cause difficulties when scanning the code. Please use a device in good technical condition to present your ticket or pass.

Can I purchase a ticket or pass as an extension for my BKK mobile ticket?

If you travel through Budapest, some of the BKK tickets are available not only in paper-based form, but also as mobile ticket. (Please find more information about the mobile tickets on the BKK website.) Of course, if you have a ticket or pass as mobile ticket, valid within Budapest, you can purchase a HÉV ticket or pass as an extension for it in the MÁV mobile application. In this case, both tickets have to be shown upon inspection.

Why tickets and passes for suburban railway line H7 are not available in the MÁV application?

At the moment, tickets and passes are available in the application only for the suburban railway line sections outside of Budapest. As suburban railway line H7 leans within the administrative boundaries of Budapest, journey planning, tickets and passes are not available for this line in the application. Timetable data – for each station – is available at the Stations and stops section, while information about trains can be found at the Service information or at the EMMA section.