We might not inevitably need Volán (Hungary’s long-distance state bus company) or MÁV; the liberalization of long-distance transportation is also conceivable – explained János Lázár, the Minister of Construction and Transport, at the end of November.
According to EU Regulation 1370/2007 public service contracts for the operation of railway lines in individual member states can be extended without tenders for the last time until this year’s December 23, for a maximum of ten more years. Afterwards, open calls for tenders must be held, allowing private service providers to bid as well.
It is possible, therefore, that the hegemony of state providers in Hungary’s railway traffic could come to an end. In the majority of the country, this monopoly is represented by MÁV-Start, with GYSEV operating the railways in the roughly-defined triangle of Sopron–Győr–Szentgotthárd – and more recently, in the region surrounding the town of Zalaegerszeg as well.