The Mien Dong CoachStation on January 18 transported 50,000 passengers to southeastern,central and northern regions, up 30,000 passengers against normal days.
ThuongThanh Hai, deputy director of the Mien Dong Coach Station, said hisstation has contracted to rent hundreds of buses to increase thecapacity of transporting passengers for Tet.
However, trafficcongestion on National Highway 1 at Ca Pass in the central provinces ofPhu Yen and Khanh Hoa has slowed down bus travel through the pass.
If traffic congestion is prolonged, buses cannot return to the station on schedule to continue transporting customers.
The station has about 3,500 buses. Nearly 2,000 depart the station a day.
Atthe Mien Tay Coach Station, the number of passengers travelling to theCuu Long (Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta) provinces and Can Tho City reached35,000 on January 18, up 15,000 passengers compared to normal days,according to the station's deputy director Tran Van Phuong.
TheHCM City Centre for Public Transport Management has assigned the Sai GonPassenger Transport Company, HCM City Bus Cooperative Alliance andother transport cooperatives to prepare 300 buses to transportpassengers from Mien Tay and Mien Dong coach stations to otherdestinations.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers who caught aninter-provincial bus along national highways has also increased inrecent days.
On January 18, the City Department of Transport'sTransport Inspection Team No. 5 found dozens of violations ofinter-provincial buses that have illegally picked up passengers alongNational Highways 13, No. 1A and Asian Highway.
Vo Hoang Son ofthe Transport Inspection Team No. 5 said his team has been assigned toinspect around the clock some petrol stations where manyinter-provincial buses often park to pick up passengers.
However, when there are inspections, inter-provincial buses have switched to pick up passengers at other spots.
In addition, passenger overload on inter-provincial buses have continued, as in previous years.
NguyenXuan Hao, head of the Ministry of Transport's Inspectorate, saidinspection teams in the south has discovered thousands of violationscommitted by inter-provincial buses during the Tet inspection.
DongNai Province, which is the gateway for south-north routes forinter-provincial buses leaving HCM City, found the highest number ofviolations.
The Dong Nai Province Department of Transport Inspectorate handed out fines for 1,053 violations from December 10 to January 10.
TheMinistry of Transport's Inspectorate has asked provincialinspector-ates to continue mobilising all inspection forces to checkoperation of buses during Tet, Hao said. Inspection forces will forceinter-provincial buses that have too many passengers to transfer thesurplus number of passengers to buses at coach stations.
He said drivers of overloaded busses will have their driving licences revoked./.