HCM City's bus stations to sell Tet tickets next month

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Mien Tay (Western) and Mien Dong (Eastern) bus stations in Ho Chi Minh City will begin selling Tet (Lunar New Year) tickets next month at prices 40-60 percent higher than on normal days.

The seven-day Tet holiday takes place from February 10 to 16 (from the 29th day of the last lunar month to the 5th day of the first lunar month).

The stations expect the number of passengers to fall by 10-15 percent compared to the same period last year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ta Chuong Chin, director of Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station, said tickets for the holiday would be sold at the station between 5am and 7pm daily from January 12 to February 7.

Bus fares would increase by a maximum of 60 percent during Tet.

The station was expected to see an increase in passengers in the February 5-10 period.

It planned to add 450 coaches on contract and tourist buses with more than 18,300 seats to serve travel demand during the holiday period.

A representative of Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station said that transport companies would not increase ticket prices on February 1.

The station would sell Tet tickets between January 22 and February 6.

From February 8 to 13 (from the 27th day of the last lunar month to the 2nd day of the first lunar month), bus fares would be 40 percent higher than normal days.

The station was also planning to release more buses to meet demand during the holiday.

The two bus stations have asked the city’s Department of Transport take measures to reduce congestion around the stations, and handle illegal stops and unlicensed buses during the holiday.

The department will also work with transport departments in Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Vinh Long provinces to regulate traffic on National Highway No 1A, as well as sections leading to My Thuan and Rach Mieu bridges and HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway, where traffic jams often occur on holidays./.