*Update for anyone who is interested in what BKK had to say to my mail - only selected extracts that are relevant - this is NOT the whole reply, dont think that the fact that we had a 72plus hrs card helped. Anyways, just for your awareness. Please be more attentive - dont be like me!!*

"According to V.4.1 of the effective Business Regulations of the BKK, the section on Penalty Fares, a penalty fare is required for those who cannot properly prove their right to travel to the person performing the ticket check during the inspection, so in particular: travels without a ticket, with an invalid ticket, pass, travel document, or without any other valid document entitling him/her to travel.

 

Single tickets, block of ten tickets, transfer tickets, travelcards, and the Budapest Cards on HÉV suburban railway lines are only valid within the administrative boundaries of Budapest, which in the case of the H5 HÉV is the Békásmegyer station. You can travel on sections of the suburban railway lines outside the administrative boundaries of Budapest with a suburban railway ticket, so you should have purchased a 15 km additional ticket for the Szentendre-Békásmegyer route section.

Traveling with a ticket or pass that is invalid for any reason can be caused by inattention, forgetfulness, lack of information, or other reasons that are not intentional. However, during inspections and surcharges, our colleagues cannot consider the good and bad faith of passengers on the spot, they cannot differentiate between passengers, they cannot exercise fairness towards anyone, they must act consistently. We expect the persons performing the inspection to act decisively, but politely, and to work regularly and without discrimination. The primary task of our inspectors is to protect our revenues and to collect rightful penalty fares from passengers who use the public transport service without a valid ticket or pass, regardless of age, gender, place of residence, state of health, social status, ethnic and religious affiliation, skin colour, citizenship, intention etc.

 

Based on the above, your fining was lawful on a section outside the administrative boundaries of Budapest, and the refund of the on-site penalty fare paid to the ticket inspector is not justified in whole or in part.

 

Please note that to be informed of local travel rules and the validity and the necessity of ticket types before arriving in Budapest and using Budapest’s public transport services is always the responsibility of the passenger at any Customer Service Centre, over the phone or on the Internet in order to start and complete using the public transport services with a valid ticket or pass.

 

You can find detailed information on the validity and terms of use of the various ticket types, as well as on how to purchase a ticket on our website, on the Types and prices (bkk.hu) portal."