Belarus to invest in Hanoi bus system

Hanoi (VNA) – Belarus will assist Vietnam in building an auto manufacturing plant in Hanoi as a way to reduce the cost of the buses, said Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko.

He shared the information at a working session with Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung on March 28, discussing the development of the bus system of the capital city.

In order to increase the rate of people taking buses to 20 – 22 percent, Hanoi will add and replace 700 – 1,000 buses and open new routes between now and 2020, Chung informed his guest, saying the scenario offers good cooperative opportunities for the city and Belarusian auto manufacturers.

Taking part in the meeting, Director General of the Hanoi Transport Corporation (Transerco) Nguyen Hoang Trung said Hanoi put into use 32 buses of 60 seats and 80 seats produced by the Belarusian Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) in 2017.

The buses have proved better quality in comparison to buses currently operated in the capital, he noted, adding that their prices are 25 – 40 percent higher than that of similar buses of different ranges.

Agreeing with Trung’s opinion, the city leader said Hanoi wants to buy more MAZ buses, even smaller ones.

He recommended Belarusian auto makers and Transerco discuss measures to cut costs.

Chung said Hanoi is looking forwards to Belarus’ support and cooperation human resources training for management of public transportation.

He suggested other sectors for collaboration such as tourism and infrastructure development, particularly projects on urban bridges and railways.

For his part, Semashko said Belarus wants to supply a large number of buses for Hanoi rather than just 32 units last year.

On behalf of the Belarusian Government, he invited his host to visit the country and study the local electric bus system.

He said Belarusian firms are willing to discuss and assist Hanoi in developing its infrastructure, particularly its urban railway system,-VNA