On October 25, Pham Ngoc Dung, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center, said public transport operators had carried more than 40 million passenger trips since the city introduced free bus fares on 134 routes nearly four months ago.
According to the center’s statistics, on October 23, 2026, the 134 free bus routes operated 17,689 trips, carrying 458,157 passenger trips, or an average of around 25.9 passengers per trip. Passenger numbers were up 49 percent from the same day in 2025.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center Pham Ngoc Dung said the free-fare policy makes public transport more accessible to residents while helping ease traffic pressure and supporting the development of a sustainable public transport system.
To maintain service quality, the center continues to deploy personnel to monitor bus network operations on the ground, alongside supervision through its online operations system. Emerging issues are promptly identified and addressed to ensure safe and uninterrupted services.
The center is also making greater use of data from its management and operations systems and onboard surveillance cameras to continuously update information on route operations, monitor service quality and ensure consistent implementation of the policy.
The initial passenger figures indicate a positive response to the free-fare policy, providing further impetus for residents to choose buses for their daily journeys.
In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center will continue working with transport operators to closely monitor passenger numbers, improve service quality, vehicles and infrastructure, and promptly address emerging problems to better meet residents’ travel needs.
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