A bus on the first BRT route linking Kim Ma and Yen Nghia bus terminals (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route inHanoi, scheduled to officially operate from next year, will prove effective inmeeting local commuters’ demand and easing traffic congestion, said arepresentative of the World Bank (WB) Vietnam.
Jung Eun Oh, senior transport economist at WBVietnam, voiced on December 19 her belief in the 14.77-km route that connectsKim Ma and Yen Nghia bus terminals.
She said traffic congestion is now a seriousproblem in Hanoi and it is not easy to be solved amid the rapid growth ofpersonal vehicles.
A solution in big cities around the world is todevelop the public transport network. The first BRT route will have bettereffects in the next few years when it is connected with other BRT routes,overhead railways, and metro, she noted.
Public support is needed for this route’ssuccess, she added, asking relevant agencies to listen to people’s feedback toimprove the service.
Vu Ha – Director of the management unit of theHanoi urban transport development project – said the rapid buses will run onbus-only lanes but still move on mixed lanes with other vehicles in somestretches. Hanoi’s Department of Transport has devised plans to limit othervehicles such as taxis, cars and trucks along the route.
A one-way ticket will cost 7,000 VND (30 UScents), equivalent to the fare of normal buses. Commuters can try the rapid busfree of charge for one month, in next January.
The municipal Department of Transport admitted abig challenge facing this route – heavy traffic with several congestionhotspots. This is also a big concern among city dwellers when the rapid busesoperate.
It is necessary to thoroughly prepareinfrastructure for BRT buses to ensure their quality and travel time, thedepartment said.
The Kim Ma-Yen Nghia BRT project has a totalinvestment of more than 1.1 trillion VND (48.3 million USD) loaned by the WB.Started in 2013, the route was initially expected to operate in Q2 of 2015 butlagged behind schedule for two years.
With the first BRT buses in Hanoi running in2017, Vietnam will be the eighth country in Southeast Asia to implement BRT.-VNA
VNA
