BKV’s tram driver duo, Krisztina Schneider and Ákos Bodnár, achieved a prestigious 4th place at the first Tram Driver World Championship. At the competition in Vienna, teams from 25 countries contended in spectacular driving tasks. The duo from Budapest – defending Europe champions - did not attain a medal this time, but they once again proved that they belong among the world's elite. BKV teams have won three European championship titles so far and are in first place in the all-time rankings, ahead of Paris and Brussels.

The world's best tram drivers competed in the square in front of the Town Hall in the centre of Vienna on Saturday, 13 September. The Tram Driver World Championship, which is debuting this year, is an expanded version of the European Championship, with teams from 25 countries entering the Vienna world competition. The participants faced challenges such as maintaining speed, braking on target, precise vehicle control and stopping, shunting, and estimating side distance. To the great delight of the spectators, the extremely popular tram bowling, in which a large ball had to be hit with the front of the tram so that it knocked over as many figures as possible, was also part of the world championship. Tram curling was a new task, in which a draisine had to be pushed with the tram so that it stopped at the designated place.

The tasks were evaluated by points, and the final order was based on the overall performance of the team members. The Budapest duo performed well and consistently in each task, and in the extremely strong field they finished in 4th place. “The whole day was really cool. Although we didn’t manage to get on the podium, a fourth place in the world championship is also a nice achievement”, said Krisztina Schneider after the competition. According to Ákos Bodnár, “The competition was great, it was a gorgeous experience to be here. I am very happy; I am delighted with the result.”

Krisztina Schneider has been working for BKV for 16 years. The mother of three mainly works on the Buda lines, her favourite tram line is 17 and the CAF is her preferred tram type. Ákos Bodnár, 26, has been driving a tram for four years, his favourite is line 41, the longest tram line in Budapest.

The first European Tram Driver Championship was held in 2012, which was the main attraction of the celebrations organized for the 140th anniversary of tram transportation in Dresden. The championship system, the conditions for organizing the competitions, the technical background, and the media coverage have been continuously developing. In recent years, instead of the previous depot racetracks, the championship has been held in the central area of the host city, on traffic tracks, with limited scheduled traffic, which tens of thousands of people followed closely on site or online. This year, the former European Championship has developed into a world competition. Teams from the United States, Brazil and China, among others, arrived for the competition in Vienna.

It was not the first time that BKV tram drivers have proven that they belong to the world's top class. The company immediately brought home the gold medal from the first European Tram Driver Championship. The Budapest team won in 2016 and 2024. Together with the silver medal won in 2013, BKV tram drivers are at the top of the all-time rankings, ahead of the transport companies in Paris and Brussels.

BKV Zrt.