Vietnamplus

The first e-buses in Vietnam are being trialled at an urban area in Gia Lam district of Hanoi before the service has its coverage expanded.

The Vinbus Ecology Transport Services Limited Liability Company (VinBus), a member of Vietnam’s largest conglomerate VinGroup, launched the first smart e-bus service in the country on April 8.

Public buses fitted with ultra-thin solar panels started plying Singaporean roads on March 30 in a six-month proof-of-concept trial by bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore.

Singapore has moved a step closer to a driverless public transport network with the launch of a new trial of self-driving buses.

Jakarta-owned bus operator Transjakarta has an ambitious plan to expand its electric bus (e-bus) fleet to 10,000 units over the decade as the city tries to push for cleaner air.

Singapore's public transport system has been ranked top in the world by US-based travel website Far & Wide, beating London in second place and Hong Kong in third place.

After a period of a break-off to implement the social distancing regulations, Hanoi buses resumed their operation on April 23 but the number of bus commuters remained low.

Trans-provincial passenger trains will be suspended from March 30 until April 15 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to the Vietnam Railway Authority.

The Hanoi Transport Service Corporation (Transerco) has cut more than 7,500 bus trips per day, equivalent to nearly 80 percent of the total trips.

Thailand’s government has announced plans to transform the country into an electric vehicle and motorcycle hub of ASEAN within five years via state measures to boost demand, local media said on March 12.

Some 170,000 buses, coaches and mini-buses will need to have two in-vehicle surveillance cameras from July next year.

The Thai Transport Ministry will install air purifiers on the roofs of Bangkok buses this month, starting with vehicles of Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and fitting trucks as well if the results are good.​

The VinFast company of the Vingroup has said it plans to roll out various luxury and high efficiency models this year in an attempt to help deal with noise and air pollution in major urban centres.

Jakarta-owned bus operator, PT Transjakarta, plans to conduct a trial of two electric buses in mid-January.

Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) held a ceremony in the central coastal province of Quang Nam on December 28 to hand over 15 Vietnamese branded buses for export to the Philippines.

Tighter regulations are being planned on school buses, after one child died and another needed hospital treatment when they were left on board for hours unnoticed over the past two months.

Ho Chi Minh City has deployed a number of plans to increase the number of commuters using buses to 11.2 percent this years, up 1.6 percentage points from last year.

Transport companies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi plan to increase the number of trains and buses to cope with the rush expected during the long National Day weekend next month.

Environmentally-friendly buses in Ho Chi Minh City could face operating problems as compressed natural gas (CNG) suppliers plan to reduce CNG supply, according to local authorities.

After several years of using eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel some of its fleet, Ho Chi Minh City’s public bus system is now on the verge of a fuel shortage as the only supplier plans to reduce supply, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has reported.