Increase public transport connections between Ho Chi Minh City and the newly merged area

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction will continue to proactively review the reality, organize surveys on people's travel needs to update and restructure the entire bus route network accordingly.

Passengers take a bus at the bus station on Ham Nghi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Tien Luc/VNA)

On July 16, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction said: After receiving wards of the former Binh Duong province according to the Resolution on administrative unit arrangement, Ho Chi Minh City is reviewing and adjusting the public transport system to strengthen the connection between the city center and the newly merged area, while gradually completing the inter-regional public transport network.

According to the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City, currently in the old Binh Duong province (including newly merged areas such as Di An, Lai Thieu, Tan Dong Hiep...) there are a total of 24 bus routes in operation; of which, 14 are intra-provincial routes and 10 are inter-provincial routes connecting the old Binh Duong area with Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai .

Transport units operating in this area include Becamex Tokyu Bus Company Limited, Phuong Trinh Joint Stock Company, Binh Duong Transport Joint Stock Company and Phuc Gia Khang Company Limited Branch, with a total of 118 vehicles; of which, 65 vehicles use clean CNG fuel (accounting for 55%).

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has assigned the Public Transport Management Center to update data on all bus routes operating in the merged areas on the industry's electronic information system at: buyttphcm.com.vn and the MultiGo application. Routes with duplicate codes with the old system of Ho Chi Minh City are adjusted by adding the symbol "BD" or "VT" for easy identification and management.

Mr. Ngo Hai Duong, Head of the Transport Management Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, said that the unit is reviewing, adjusting and restructuring the entire bus network in the city, including the merged area, to ensure smooth connection between residential areas, industrial parks, key traffic axes such as National Highway 13, Ring Road 3, Ho Chi Minh City National University and Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien). This work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.

Since the merger, some routes that were once managed under the inter-provincial mechanism have now been classified as intra-provincial bus routes, such as routes 61-77 (New City - New Eastern Bus Station) extending from Binh Duong New City (Binh Duong ward) connecting with Metro line 1.

However, the authorities of the new wards and communes have not yet made any official proposals regarding the opening of new routes, the construction of bus stops or bus shelters. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction will continue to proactively review the situation, conduct surveys on people's travel needs to update and restructure the entire bus route network appropriately, and restore routes that were temporarily suspended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic such as 61-1 (Thu Duc - Tan Dong Hiep) and 61-6 (Ben Thanh - Dai Nam).

In addition, two new routes are also being researched and deployed in the Ho Chi Minh City National University area to serve students and workers with continuous travel needs.

According to preliminary estimates, if effective investment is made in transit infrastructure and vehicle quality is improved, the number of bus users could increase by 15–20%, contributing to a 10–12% reduction in the number of motorbikes moving into the inner city.

Regarding service quality, the Public Transport Management Center will maintain monthly periodic inspections, evaluate the operation of bus routes, and handle violations of speeding, illegal parking, red light violations, etc. to ensure safety and operational efficiency.

At the same time, traffic culture propaganda and safe travel skills guidance are coordinated and implemented at transport units and localities.

In addition to the official information channel on the transport industry website, people can directly report via hotline 1022 to receive and promptly handle comments about vehicle quality, delayed trips or degraded waiting rooms./.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/tang-ket-noi-giao-thong-cong-giua-tp-ho-chi-minh-voi-khu-vuc-moi-hop-nhat-1019162.html