HCM City prepares quality bus services for September 2nd holiday

Miền Tây Bus Station is expected to have the highest number of passengers during this year's holiday. VNA Photo

HCM CITY - HCM City will provide quality and smooth transportation services for bus riders during the upcoming September 2 holiday.

The number of passengers traveling during the September 2 holiday through HCM City's bus stations is expected to increase significantly compared to the same period in 2023 and double the usual daily volume.

The routes to the Mekong Delta remain a "hot spot" during the holiday, with peak daily passenger numbers reaching nearly 60,000.

Currently, the bus stations have developed plans to ensure that there are enough buses to meet demand.

Miền Tây Bus Station in Bình Tân District is expected to have the highest number of passengers during this year's holiday, due to its advantage of having short-distance routes to Mekong Delta provinces.

During the five-day holiday, the bus station is expected to serve more than 200,000 passengers (over 8,500 buses).

Compared to normal days, passenger volume is expected to increase by more than 114 per cent and the number of buses by more than 47 per cent.

Passengers traveling to Mekong Delta provinces will be most concentrated on August 30 and 31, with Miền Tây Bus Station serving nearly 60,000 passengers per day, double the usual number; on August 31 (a Saturday), peak traffic may reach 59,000 passengers per day, with 1,890 buses departing daily.

Miền Tây Bus Station will sell tickets from 5am to 9pm daily for bus companies authorised to sell tickets at the station, and 24/7 for companies that sell their own tickets.

Additionally, companies that sell their own tickets, such as Phương Trang, Thành Bưởi, Kumho Samco, Tuấn Nga, Hùng Cường, and other branded bus operators, have plans to sell tickets in advance through hotlines and their websites.

According to Đặng Nguyễn Nguyên Huân, general director of Miền Tây Bus Station, the bus station will arrange schedules and deploy vehicles appropriately to quickly disperse passengers.

The station will also monitor passenger volume and vehicle activity on each route to adjust plans, focusing on key routes to prevent congestion and passenger overflow.

During recent holidays, the roads leading to Mekong Delta provinces have often been overloaded, with traffic jams making it difficult for buses to return to pick up passengers.

"The bus station has proposed that the HCM City Department of Transport coordinate with the Departments of Transport in Tiền Giang, Bến Tre and Vĩnh Long provinces to manage traffic on National Highway 1, the HCM City - Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận Expressway, Rạch Miễu Bridge, and Mỹ Thuận Bridge during the holiday," a representative of Miền Tây Bus Station said.

In the area around the bus station, Miền Tây Bus Station has also requested local police support to ensure security and order, while the traffic police force will assist in handling and resolving traffic jams and directing traffic during peak days.

To ensure sufficient buses, it also requested that the HCM City Public Transport Management Centre issue 100 additional fixed-route vehicle permits; 50 of these permits are for buses covering distances of up to 300 km, and 50 permits are for buses covering longer distances.

Additional buses will also be deployed to promptly alleviate passenger congestion on peak days.

Stable ticket prices

At the new Miền Đông Bus Station in Thủ Đức City, the Sài Gòn Transportation Mechanical Corporation, or Samco, which manages inter-provincial bus stations in HCM City, reported that passenger numbers and bus activity at the new station during the September 2 holiday are expected to increase compared to normal days, primarily on routes from Đà Nẵng to HCM City.

According to Nguyễn Lâm Hải, deputy director of the new Miền Đông Bus Station, although passenger volume has improved recently, it remains quite low compared to the station's capacity.

The low passenger volume is attributed to the continued operation of illegal bus stops and unlicensed buses in the city centre, on major highways, and at pick-up/drop-off points.

Illegal pick-up and drop-off activities in front of the new bus station still occur, and some transport companies have set up unauthorised pick-up points around the station.

During the five-day holiday period this year, the new Miền Đông Bus Station is expected to serve approximately 36,300 passengers with 2,340 buses passing through the station, an increase of about 70 - 80 per cent in passengers and bus trips year-on-year.

The peak day is expected to be August 30, with about 500 buses departing with 9,000 passengers, an increase of about 100 per cent in passengers and nearly 140 per cent in bus trips compared to the same period in 2023. - VNS