VietNamNet Bridge – Bus tickets will rise by nearly 30 per cent during Reunification Day and International Labour Day (April 30-May 1) holidays, said the Ha Noi Bus Station Management Company.
Five passenger transport companies planned to raise their bus fares for routes from Ha Noi to Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and northerneast provinces, said director of the company Nguyen Hoang Trung.
They include Hung Thanh Co, Ninh Binh Transport Joint Stock Company and Bao Yen Company, he said.
Under the plan, passengers will have to pay VND220,000 (US$10.50) instead of VND180,000 ($8.50) for trips between Ha Noi-Son La and Ha Noi-Ha Giang.
It will cost VND320,000 ($16) instead of VND300,000 ($15) to travel from Ha Noi to Lai Chau.
Trung said some 400 buses would be added to serve the increased demand.
Deputy director of HCM City-based East–bound Bus Station Thuong Thanh Hai said the number of passengers traveling would double on the holidays.
It was estimated they would serve nearly 35,000-44,000 passengers on April 26-28, he said.
The bus ticket prices would be 40 per cent higher than a normal day, for routes such as Binh Thuan- Quang Ngai, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Lam Dong and south-west provinces on April 26-29, he said.
Around 30 buses would be added to serve passengers on April 26-29, he said.
Meanwhile, the HCM City-based West-bound Bus Station forecast about 49,000-51,000 passengers on April 27 and 28.
The station’s director Kieu Nam Thanh said an additional 50 buses would operate.
According to Thanh, passenger transport companies had to submit to authorised agencies if they wanted to raise their bus fares and inform the station before April 20.
Deputy Chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiep told Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that passengers could contact hotlines 069 42608, 069 42407 and 0984 249 999 if they were overcharged or crammed into overcrowded buses.
The Ministry of Public Security ordered police departments in provinces and cities to conduct more inspections to check the quality of all modes of transport during the holidays to ensure traffic safety.
Government workers will have five days off, from April 27 to May 1.
Source: VNS