HCMC – The HCMC Department of Transport has proposed the municipal government add 36 bus routes, including 32 inner-city routes and four inter-provincial ones in order to develop the public passenger transport system and better meet the commuter demand.
Over the past few years, the city has gradually widened its public transport system. However, the city has multiple small alleys and streets and a rising number of private vehicles, while the number of bus services remains modest, the municipal department said.
As such, it is necessary to open more bus routes to enhance connectivity between residential areas, schools and commercial centers, and offer better bus services to passengers.
Under the proposal, inner-city bus routes will rise to 133 from the operational 101, while the number of inter-provincial bus routes leading to Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, Tien Giang, Tay Ninh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will increase to 31.
According to the HCMC Management Center of Public Transport, buses plying on Route No. 152, and those on Route No. 72-1 commenced picking up and dropping off passengers at the domestic terminal of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport from April 18, instead of just the international terminal as earlier.
The arrangement of buses at the domestic passenger terminal is aimed at helping passengers to access bus services easily, Tuoi Tre Online reported.
Tran Quang Lam, director of the HCMC Department of Transport, said that the department has been working with the transport departments of Long An and Tien Giang to open a bus service linking the Tan Phu bus station in HCMC with the Tien Giang Coach Station in Tien Giang Province. The non-subsidized route will have 57 daily bus rides and will start service on May 19.
