Hanoi is planning to operate more bus trips and add more vehicles to its fleet during the Lunar New Year, the nation's biggest annual holiday, in anticipation of increased commuter demand.

Transerco, Hanoi’s main bus operator, said an additional 46 vehicles will run in 26 major routes during the holiday, which falls on late January and early February.

These are routes that have intersections with inter-provincial bus stations and run through main streets, schools, scenic spots and entertainment areas.

Operating hours will also be extended to meet higher travel demand which could double on New Year days, said Transerco Vice Director Nguyen Hoang Trung, as quoted by Nhan Dan Online.

With the additional buses, Transerco will be operating 954 buses on 50 lines during the traditional holiday.

The Hanoi Transport Corporation launched on December 20 a new website to help passengers access information about bus routes online, rather than relying on the limited information available at the city's bus stops.

A corporation representative said that timbus.vn would provide passengers details of all the capital's bus routes and relevant services in the city such as ticket prices, bus-stops and directions.

Loudspeakers have been installed on the corporation's buses to keep passengers informed, while a hotline has been operational since 2010.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a 59 million USD project to support modern bus, rail system for Hanoi. The four-year project, which will start next year, is aimed at providing an ecologically balanced, civilised and modern urban public transport system.-VNA