More buses planned to meet holiday demand

Bus companies in Ha Noi and HCM City are ready to roll out more vehicles to meet additional demand for the Independence Day holiday from September 1 to September 4.

Independence Day this year will be a three-day holiday because it falls on Friday. Bus firms are therefore expecting more passengers than usual for this time of year.

Truong Thanh Hai, deputy director of Mien Dong Bus Station, said he expected about 100,000 bus passengers over the holiday, up 31 per cent on a typical day.

Ha Noi Bus Station Management Company plans to put on 200 additional buses, said director Nguyen Hoang Trung.

“The most popular routes from Ha Noi are typically no more than 300km,” he said.

Trung said his firm would be working closely with public transport companies to monitor daily operations over the holiday. Additional buses would be put on if necessary, he added.

However, he said overloaded buses would not be allowed to operate.

He also said that drivers of buses who tried to overcharge passengers would be punished.

Trung said he would work closely with police and traffic inspectors to ensure safety standards were met.

However, Tran Trung Kien, a software developer for Viettel, was sceptical. He said he would probably travel by motorbike to his home town in Nam Dinh Province, 100km from Ha Noi, rather than risk being overcharged on a crowded bus.

“I am not sure the situation will be better this time, despite all the supposed steps being taken to ensure passengers are comfortable. Experience has taught me that travelling by bus on holidays is a nightmare. Buses are always overcrowded, and usually I end up having to stand for two hours on my way home,” he said.

He added that he thought drivers would ignore the risk of being fined for taking on board too many passengers because the fine was insignificant compared to the extra money they could make.

Kien also said passengers must also watch out against pick pocketing. He said he once had his mobile phone stolen while waiting for a bus at Giap Bat Bus Station. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam transportation