Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi will discontinue paper monthly bus passes on its subsidised public bus network from July 1, accelerating the rollout of a cashless electronic ticketing system, the municipal Department of Construction said June 23.
The phase-out is part of a broader push to modernise fare collection and expand digital payments across the capital’s public transport network. The Hanoi Traffic Management and Operations Centre is replacing all paper monthly passes with electronic transport cards valid on every subsidised bus route.
Passengers purchasing or renewing travel passes must use non-cash payment methods. Existing electronic tickets, including both virtual and physical smart cards already in circulation, remain valid across the city’s subsidised bus network.
Free travel cards without embedded chips will continue to be accepted through July 31. They will no longer be valid from August 1.
Under the new system, seniors aged 60 and older and children under six can travel on subsidised services using either their national ID cards or virtual transport cards. Other groups eligible for free travel, including war veterans, revolution contributors, those with disabilities, and members of low-income households, may use virtual cards or register for chip-embedded physical smart cards.
Passengers can register for new electronic transport cards or convert paper passes online via the city's ticketing website https://vedientuonline.com.vn or the "The ve giao thong HN" (Hanoi Transport Ticket) mobile app. In-person registration and card replacement services are available at the centre's office at No.1 Kim Ma street, Giang Vo ward.
The electronic fare system supports time-based tickets, including daily, weekly, monthly and pay-as-you-go fares. Passengers with stored-value cards or virtual accounts linked to bank accounts pay by tapping a smart card or scanning a QR code when boarding and exiting buses.
For single-trip journeys, fares are distance-based. A provisional charge is deducted on boarding and automatically adjusted upon tap-out at the destination. Passengers who fail to tap out will be charged the full fare to the route’s final stop.
For holders of daily, weekly or monthly passes, the system validates eligibility on boarding and records trip data when passengers exit. Authorities said the data will be used to monitor passenger demand and allocate revenue among operators.
The virtual transport card is embedded directly in the “Hanoi Transport Ticket” mobile app and uses dynamically generated QR codes secured by digital signatures and time-based authentication. QR codes refresh every 30 seconds, a measure designed to prevent duplication, screenshots and ticket fraud.
Physical transport cards carry embedded smart chips and mirror the functionality of virtual accounts, letting passengers use stored value or linked bank accounts to pay fares across Hanoi’s subsidised bus network./.
