You should have been asked to open an account with Nemzeti Mobilfizetési Zrt. and select a payment method. You can add money from your bank card or pay as you go.

The 250 forint is for a Lenti local (town) bus. All inter-urban buses are numbered. e.g. Lenti-Zalaegerszeg-Keszthely-Tapolca-Pápa route is 1627. You need to select the option Hogyan történik a Volánbusz helyi járataira szóló közlekedési mobiljegy megvásárlása? on the app (How do I purchase a mobile ticket for a long-distance Volanus bus?). Then open menetrendek.hu and enter origin, destination and date of travel. Look at the bus you want to take and enter in the app how many km the trip is. Yes it is horribly complicated and beyond most of the folk in my village (including the mayor's office staff). I use the menetrend website a lot for working out routes and connections on both trains and buses.

Talking of safety screens: Kanizsa Lidl has just installed huge glass screens at their checkouts. There is a small hole to insert your cash or bank card. Works great!

Thanks ! That is who I registered and opened an account with and can now see how to top up my balance from my card ... but the rest of it looks like a nightmare ... trying to input my little village to get to Lenti ... a local bus and obviously not a long distance bus but I think it runs from Zalalovo to Lenti and back .... no idea what the number is though but I guess I should be able to find it and find out the km distance ... I can see I could well end up giving up and risking a fine !!

Have you tried the "old fashioned way"- with a laptop or other - no app.

https://www.volanbusz.hu/en

https://www.volanbusz.hu/en

But I think the lockdown has got something to do with it.

GBA

Tried that earlier ... the only response I could get from it was my bus and route doesn't exist ... next ... !!

On a morbid note but interesting, I have been following this:

https://www.ft.com/coronavirus-latest

With Charlie, BJ and Cockie and of course the mighty Merkel all coming down with what appears the mild version, I am wondering if there is not anther version of this beast from the east thats done for 26,825 other soles?

If there was a "last" ventilator up for grabs, who would get it out of that lot? HMMMMMMM

GBA

Yeah I just tried as well. "No service" even if I change dates. Best bet get in the car or like me, a van. Thats if you have one of course. Maybe hitch a ride with the village" taxi" - that mini bus thing which most villages seem to have and if they like ours its got some sign writing on the side with something to do about the eu.

Or you could just hop on the bus and not pay which most people seem to do - old, young and intermediate. The trick it seems is to avoid eye contact at all times even when the driver is staring at you in his rear view mirror. He doesn't stare for long.

GBA

I do have a car but the MOT has ran out so I can't use it. I have seen the village "taxi" but never with anyone in it apart from the driver who is delivering supplies of some description to people. I would imagine that many people will be getting a free bus ride but inspectors do get on the bus quite often, wether they will continue to during the crisis remains to be seen ... it depends upon the bosses as to wether they see this as a good money making opportunity or not ... the warning signs at the closed offices at the terminal in Lenti warn in both Hungarian and English that travelling without a valid ticket will still attract an 8000 Forint fine ....

How far is it that you have to go?

GBA

From my village to Lenti is approximately 17km ...

Well in these times even I would not risk taking the car as I would be expecting the polis to be out in numbers from tomorrow. I would just hop on the bus armed with a few 20k F notes or whatever and then just see what the other locals do. I bet not many will bother to book online (or would not even bother if they could). There are still lots of locals without internet and who only deal in cash. If there are a few people before you at the bus stop all the better. Just let them get on first and see what they do and follow suit.

Alternatively if you really stuck or need stuff urgently or what, then give me a shout. I am 45 minutes from Lenti. If the polis stop me I will just wave my Asda and Morrisions bags at them. If that dont work I will try pointing at the bags then my mouth - that sort of motion thing.

GBA

Ha, thanks !
The police are quite active on the main road but don't seem to have been for some months now but I wouldn't risk taking the car unless it was fully legal anyway. Not long after the MOT ran out, an elderly villager was asking me using sign language why I was taking the bus and not my car ... I thought I had done a good job signing back that my UK document had expired but obviously not as good a job as I thought ... within a day the story in the village was the police had stopped me for drink driving and confiscated my licence ... village life, eh !!
My neighbour has offered to shop for me if needs be but I will risk the bus and see what happens and hopefully catch up with you for a beer in Lenti when normal times resume !

The only online timetable after the Volánbusz takeover is at https://menetrendek.hu/
You already said you normally pay 370 forint on the bus. This amount covers 15.1 - 20 km (see https://www.volanbusz.hu/en/travel-i...domestic-fares). So if you enter any number in this range into the app you will get the correct fare!
Note that the penalty for not having a valid ticket is 8000 forint.

It could get crazy. I hope I am wrong but expect a lot of companies to struggle and when even Poland are supporting people at risk of losing their jobs it comes to something.

I consider myself very lucky I am able to work from home and my job seems secure for the forseeable future. I will put up with going backwards and forwards from Budapest for a bit longer when all this calms down!! A bit of loyalty for loyalty.

Another "side effect" of the virus:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c...y_fixed_timing

Éhes vagyok!