The Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport said on August 28 that the five-day holiday period from August 29 to September 2 would see additional bus services, extended metro operations and closer coordination of vehicles at major transport hubs.
Public transport is expected to carry an average of about 280,000 passengers a day during the peak period, up 29 percent from the same period last year.
The city's 156 bus routes are scheduled to operate about 19,245 trips a day, an 8 percent increase. Ten routes will receive a combined 761 additional trips. Five routes serving interprovincial bus stations — 13, 94, 171, 61-3, and 61-8 — will add 487 trips, while five suburban routes will add another 274.
Passengers will continue to ride free on 134 bus routes. Metro Line No.1, which runs from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, will also offer free rides on September 2.
At Tan Son Nhat International Airport, bus routes 103, 109, and 152 will operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Route 72-1 will run from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m., while Route 72-2 will operate from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The transport center will monitor passenger volumes and add services if demand surges.
Metro Line No.1 is expected to carry nearly 81,000 passengers a day during the holiday, about 5 percent more than a year earlier. It will run 264 train trips daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Authorities will closely monitor passenger flows at metro stations, particularly Ben Thanh and Opera House stations, as well as areas hosting National Day celebrations. Bus routes connecting with the metro will be adjusted flexibly to help passengers complete their journeys.
In Can Gio, routes 20, 77, and 90 will operate as scheduled, while Route 75 between Saigon and Can Gio will add two daily trips from September 1 to accommodate residents and tourists.
Transport operators have been instructed to prepare sufficient vehicles, backup buses, and staff and strengthen monitoring at terminals. They may increase services by up to 10 percent from planned levels when demand rises. In the event of overcrowding, the transport center will redeploy vehicles from less busy routes to areas facing heavier demand.
Public bicycles will also be made more widely available around Ben Thanh and Opera House metro stations. The Bach Dang-Linh Dong waterbus service has prepared contingency plans to increase capacity if passenger numbers spike.
The measures are intended to give residents and visitors more public transport options. In addition, it helps to ease congestion around downtown areas, metro stations, bus terminals and major transport hubs during the holiday.
