Under the project worth a total capital of VND92.3 billion (US$3.7 million), the city will carry out construction projects of 67 bus waiting areas, 196 bus rest stops, sidewalks, parking areas, and restrooms around metro stations, including Van Thanh, Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Thu Duc, high-tech Park, Vietnam National University- HCMC, Suoi Tien bus station.
Director of the HCMC Management Center of Public Transport Le Hoan said that the southern metropolis will open 22 new bus routes, including three inter-provincial bus routes connecting the city with Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces, and 19 inner city bus routes to strengthen accessibility and connection between bus routes and metro line 1 and reduce the passenger overload at stations of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro route.
The inner city bus routes will connect stations with residential areas, schools, shopping centers, transit stations of the city such as Hoa Hung train station, Saigon bus station, New Eastern Coach Station, National University, High-Tech Park, Vinhomes Center Park Residential Area, Thao Dien Residential Area, University of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Technology and Education, and residential areas around the stations.
The project has so far completed the construction of 222 out of 253 bus stops, achieving a completion rate of 87.7 percent, Mr. Hoan said.
In addition, the HCMC Management Center of Public Transport plans to build parking plots to serve metro commuters. Under the project, Van Thanh station has a bus parking plot covering an area of 1,596 square meters and another for private vehicles on an area of 770 square meters.
A passenger waiting area and a parking plot for private vehicles covering an area of around 1,000 square meters will be built at Thao Dien station. Rach Chiec and Phuoc Long stations will get private vehicle parking spaces in areas of 1,500 and 1,000 square meters respectively. Binh Thai station has a bus parking plot covering an area of 3,000 square meters and another for private vehicles on an area of 1,000 square meters.
The HCMC Management Center of Public Transport currently is preparing procedures to call for investment in 17 subsidized bus routes serving metro line 1. These services are expected to be put into operation when HCMC's metro line 1 starts commercial operation in the fourth quarter of this year.
According to the Vietnam–German Transport Research Center, a network of bus routes connecting with stations of metro line 1 is estimated to be able to transport 110,000 passengers per day.
