Changes in Travel Demand in Budapest During the Last 10 Years

Management and development of transport systems should always rely on the knowledge of travel demand. It is suggested to shape transport networks and services based on long-term strategies, which is obviously adjusted to long-term trends in the demand. However, it might be difficult to get to know the prompt demand, and even harder to forecast it. Before and during the economic crisis a simple, over-optimistic approach could be noticed in Hungarian appraisals. Realistically there was a complex change in travel patterns. The objective of this paper is to assess the recent changes in travel demand in Budapest and collect the possible main drivers. In this evaluation an extensive database from 2004 was compared with the results of recent analyses. From the data comparison conclusion could be drawn concerning the changes in the transport system usage in a changing economic environment.