Giving a tip in Taxi is not a common practice in Budapest. Taxi is considered an expansive way to travel and taxi drivers earn quite a good earning.
Just imagine that a monthly pass in Budapest public transport costs around 30 Euros, while a taxi from Airport to Budapest city center also costs 25 to 30 Euros. You may want to come to Budapest city by taxi, but inside city, walking can be a great option to explore different monuments.
Unlike Uber or Lyft which are way cheaper in other parts of the world, while in Hungary they do not exist. These companies were kicked out because of protests by local Budapest Taxi companies which were charging around 2.5 times of what Uber was charging.
Although the fare calculation does not mentioned any tip, there is still a pre-charge of 1000 HUF which is used whenever a driver comes to pick you up.
Tipping a taxi driver in Hungary is your personal decision. There are certain factors that you need to consider when tipping the taxi drivers.
Whether the taxi driver is speaking English and answering any questions you have.Is he friendly enough to put your luggage into the taxi boot. Is he smiling or just looks sad and shows no excitement when welcoming you.
As the quality of service in Hungary is not even comparable to what you get in USA or UK,therefore, you will be fine if you do not tip a taxi driver.
There have been instances in Budapest,when a family traveling with kids were charged 20 to 30 Euros extra just because a kid was sick and he was vomiting during a journey. Which does make sense to clean the taxi.
If you decide to finally tip a Budapest taxi, don’t think in terms of percentage.
Still wondering Are taxis readily available at Budapest airport? They are definitely available,with almost comparable fares.You can check the Taxi prices from Airport to City center to have a better idea.
If your fare from Budapest airport to city taxi fare is 10000 HUF,you can tip 500 HUF.