After three days of implementing free bus services on 134 routes under Resolution No. 09/2026/NQ-HĐND issued by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, bus ridership has continued to rise, indicating that the policy is beginning to deliver positive results and has been well received by the public.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport, on July 3 the city's bus network operated 17,736 trips, achieving 99.6 percent of the scheduled plan, and served 282,995 passenger journeys, averaging 16.7 passengers per trip. Compared with July 2, ridership increased by 3 percent; compared with the first day of the free-fare policy on July 1, it rose by 2 percent. Ridership was also up 37 percent compared with the same day of the previous week (June 26) and 35 percent higher than on the corresponding day in 2025.
Operations at bus terminals and route termini remained generally stable, with no reports of overcrowding or the need to deploy additional buses. During the day, the center promptly received and handled four passenger complaints regarding buses skipping designated stops on Routes 41, 56, 69, and 151.
Through the 1022 Call Center, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport received 21 phone calls and 19 pieces of feedback via the MultiGo app, its Fanpage, and social media platforms, most of which were related to bus operations. All feedback was promptly received, responded to, and referred to the relevant units for handling. Among them were five commendations and three complaints concerning service attitudes.
To ensure the smooth and consistent implementation of the free bus fare policy, the center has continued to maintain on-site monitoring teams while closely tracking the online operations management system to promptly address any issues that arise.
On July 3, inspectors identified one bus with a malfunctioning onboard announcement system and required the operator to rectify the issue immediately. They also conducted on-site inspections of 149 bus trips in operation to address identified shortcomings and improve service quality.
More than 30 staff members have been deployed at bus terminals and route endpoints to assist passengers in using bus services, installing the MultiGo application, and using their citizen ID cards, VNeID, and other electronic identification methods for passenger verification and electronic ticket validation in the coming period.
According to the city’s Public Transport Management Center, after three days of implementing the free bus fare policy, Ho Chi Minh City residents are gradually developing the habit of using buses for their daily travel needs. This is considered a positive sign that will help promote the development of public transport while providing momentum for further improvements in service quality.
