After midnight, Bus 900 is your only cheap ride from T2
Once the 200E and M3 metro shut down around midnight, Bus 900 takes over as the night link from Terminal 2 into South Pest. It’s a standard Budapest night single ticket, roughly $1–2 (same as day fares), so cost stays low even if you need a second ticket after transferring. Expect about 20–30 minutes from the airport to the main night-bus interchange, then a total of 40–60 minutes to reach central Pest if everything lines up.
Bus 900 runs overnight between Budapest Airport T2 and Kőbánya-Kispest, where you connect to other 9xx night routes like 950/950A for the city center. Headways are around every 30 minutes, so missing one can easily add another half hour to the trip. One Reddit regular called it “perfectly safe, mostly airport workers and a few backpackers,” but admitted it feels slower than the daytime 200E + metro combo.
You board 900 from the bus stands outside Terminal 2; look for the blue BKK signs with the 900 route number. A standard night ticket (about HUF 450) works, and you can buy it from machines in the arrivals hall or at the stop. From Kőbánya-Kispest, riders usually change to 950/950A toward Deák Ferenc tér, which adds another 20–30 minutes, depending on traffic and how your transfer times match.
Complaints focus on the network map more than the ride itself: visitors say the sprawling night-bus diagram and unfamiliar names like Kőbánya-Kispest or South Pest stops feel confusing at 01:00. A few reviews mention drunk passengers on central night lines such as 950 around Friday and Saturday after midnight, though the airport leg of 900 usually has more staff and airport workers than party traffic.
Regulars plan the whole chain in advance in the BudapestGo app, then screenshot the route (e.g., 900 → 950A to Deák Ferenc tér) so they’re not guessing at half-lit stop signs. Locals say that if they land very late with heavy bags after about 01:30, they sometimes skip 900 and take a taxi or Bolt, trading a $1–2 bus ticket for a $25–35 ride to avoid missed transfers.
How to use Bus 900 step by step
- 1. After landing at Terminal 2, follow the “Bus” signs to the curbside stands in front of arrivals; look for the 900 signage.
- 2. Buy a standard single ticket (around HUF 450 / $1–2) from the purple BKK vending machine inside arrivals or next to the stop; keep a spare for your 9xx connection.
- 3. Board Bus 900, validate your ticket in the orange machine immediately, and stay on until Kőbánya-Kispest; this segment usually takes 20–30 minutes.
- 4. At Kőbánya-Kispest, follow signs or Google Maps/BudapestGo to find your next bus, typically 950 or 950A toward Deák Ferenc tér, and validate a new ticket if required.
- 5. Ride the 9xx bus for roughly 20–30 minutes into central Pest, get off near your accommodation, and save your screenshots in case you need the reverse route back to the airport on another night.
One tip: check the exact 900 and 950/950A departure times for your arrival hour and screenshot them before takeoff, because a single missed 30-minute headway at Kőbánya-Kispest is usually what turns this into a one-hour-plus slog.