HCM City to ensure safe travel during holidays

HCM City (VNA) - The HCM City Department of Transport said it would ensure the orderly flow of traffic during the Calendar New Year and Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays by strictly enforcing traffic regulations and inspecting interprovincial bus stations for illegal buses.

Traffic control will be strengthened near Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Cat Lai Port, Saigon Railway, interprovincial bus stations, Thu Thiem Tunnel, ferries, and wharves during the holidays.

The department has told enterprises that operate and manage BOT (build-operate-transfer) roads such as Hanoi Expressway and An Suong-An Lac road to ensure orderly traffic movement through toll booths and on roads.

Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in HCM City is expected to see passengers increase by 60-70 percent during the New Year holiday compared to normal days, to reach 48,000-50,000 passengers a day, according to Nguyen Ngoc Thua, general director of the station.

Bus fares will remain unchanged during the New Year holiday, Thua said.

The station will begin selling Tet tickets from January 26 to February 10 with a fee 40-60 percent higher than normal days.

"Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station forecasts a 2 percent increase in the number of passengers during Tet holiday compared to the same period last year," said Kieu Nam Thanh, general director of the station.

The station will charge 20-60 percent more for bus fares from January 28 to February 15.

The city’s Management and Operation Centre for Public Transport plans to add 1,205 bus trips on more than 20 routes for three days, starting from December 30.

The centre will work with transport enterprises to allocate more buses in case of sudden demand.-VNA