One of our readers sent in a very strange video, showing people cutting down trees from one of Big Bus Tours' tour buses at Buda Pier next to Gellert Hill. According to our reader, the video was filmed in the early hours of May 22.
The work is very strange. Why would someone cut down trees from a tour bus? Those whose job is to trim trees in Budapest have special tools and vehicles for this purpose, so why do they need a tour bus? If he didn't have any work, why would he even touch trees?
We asked Fockert if they were aware of the case, or perhaps of some kind of collaboration between the public park and a private company. Gabor Simonyi, Head of the Communications Group of BKM Budapesti Közművek Nonprofit Zrt., answered our question: “Colleagues from the Horticulture Department of Budapesti Közművek FŐKERT use only the company's own vehicles and equipment (target machines with lifting baskets) during their professional activities, they do not cut trees from roofs Or from the passenger cabins of tourist buses, so of course we have no cooperation at all with these companies.”
“FőKERT carries out (subsidiary) insurance work for the Space Department, and this is also its mission, but not for tourist buses, but according to a strict professional protocol, with a fleet of target aircraft qualified for this purpose.”
So it seems that cutting down the bus tree could have been a personal activity. We've reached out to Big Bus Tours to find out what the company knows about this case, and we'll let you know as soon as we hear back. Until then, let's just hope the justice enforcers on the mystery buses don't continue their crusade against tree branches hanging on the road.
