Ten years of MOL Bubi
This Sunday, BKK's public bike-sharing system, MOL Bubi, celebrates its tenth birthday. The distinctive green bicycles have quickly become popular with the people of Budapest, and MOL Bubi 2.0 has already become a real success story: following the innovations introduced in 2021, the number of trips has increased 5-8 times compared to the first years of its launch. Since then, the bike-sharing service has continued to enjoy uninterrupted popularity and has become an integral part of Budapest's transport system. Over a decade, BKK customers have used MOL Bubi 13.5 million times and cycled a total of around 27 million kilometres. The development is not stopping, with Bubi 3.0 set to double the current fleet from 2026 onwards, and electric bicycles will be available in addition to conventional bicycles.
The distinctive green bicycles have been a feature of Budapest's cityscape since 2014, with 2,460 bicycles on the streets of the capital compared to the initial fleet of 1,100, and the number of Bubi users and stations has also increased significantly. "The service celebrates its tenth anniversary this September, during which time BKK customers have used MOL Bubi 13.5 million times and cycled a total of 27 million kilometres," said Ádám Bodor, BKK's Mobility Development Director, summing up relevant facts in connection with the anniversary.
On the occasion of the birthday, BKK has compiled the most important milestones of MOL Bubi.
Urban cycling has become accessible for everyone
Preparations for the public bicycle-sharing system started in 2007 as part of the government's Cycling Hungary Programme, which also provided the municipality with 1.1 billion HUF in EU funding to set up MOL Bubi.
The public bike system quickly became popular, MOL Bubi 1.0 boosted the popularity of urban cycling, and shortly after its introduction, BKK came up with a technological innovation that was unique at the time: the MOL Bubi app made bike rental available on smartphones, and later MOL Bubi bike stations were also available in the FUTÁR journey planning app. For the sixth year of the service, BKK renewed MOL Bubi, taking into account changing user habits and needs, and the first series of bicycles were donated to families in need through the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta.
The bike-sharing system was reborn in the spring of 2021: "the registration and ticketing process has been simplified, and the fleet now includes bikes that are much easier to pedal. In the MOL Bubi 2.0 system, bicycles no longer need to be physically "docked" at the station, but can be picked up and dropped off with a smart lock, and the application has been enriched with numerous improvements, as well as the entire registration and payment process has been digitalised" - emphasised Ádám Bodor. The revamped MOL Bubi has become a real success story, as the numbers show: the number of rides has increased 5-8 times and the total number of rentals has exceeded 8 million.
People travel to work and for fun with MOL Bubi
The evolution of the MOL Bubi service has accelerated the evolution of cycling and the development of cycle-friendly streets and roads in Budapest, according to the Mobility Development Director of BKK: many people of all ages now use bicycles, including MOL Bubi public bikes. According to an earlier survey by BKK, the majority of people use green public bicycles to get to and from work (57%), while many people also use MOL Bubi for their errands and small purchases (49%) and many people also use public bicycles for entertainment (40%).
In 2023, an average of more than 9,000 trips per day were made on green bikes, and on the busiest day of last year (13 September), BKK recorded more than 18,000 trips. This year, an average of more than 10.5 thousand rides per day were made in the capital over the last 8 months. In 2024, BKK added ten new stations to the system, including at popular and busy transport hubs such as Kelenföld and Kopaszi Dam neighbourhoods, and several new pick-up points were also built in the 13th district. In total, 211 stations are now available for cyclists.
A new era is coming
MOL Bubi is not only an urban public bicycle service, but also a sustainability and community-building tool that has evolved dynamically over 10 years. Through creative campaigns associated with the service, not only have the number of MOL Bubi users and bike-sharing trips increased, but also the attention of more and more people has been directed towards urban cycling, active and public transport, and shared mobility services, which has contributed greatly to the transformation of urban mobility and the development of Budapest's shared mobility service portfolio.
The fleet now has a total of 2,460 bicycles available to riders, allowing them to quickly get anywhere in the city centre in 10-15 minutes or less, while for longer distances, the public bike system can be flexibly combined with other public transport services. MOL Bubi is also linked to a number of events in the capital: BKK regularly organises Biker Breakfasts, and green bikes will also take part this autumn in the Budapest Fashion Week and the Urban Asanas - Flow in the city yoga programme.
"The new era of public bikes will begin in 2026: with Bubi 3.0, the current fleet will double, and not only conventional but also e-bikes will be available. The new fleet and stations will also offer shared bicycle use to people living in neighbourhoods beyond the current service area, such as the areas near Örs vezér tere, Kőbánya-Kispest and Újpest-Városkapu," said Ádám Bodor.