The first electric bus route in HCM City will be put into operation on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HCM CITY — The first electric bus route in HCM City will be put into operation on Wednesday, according to the municipal transport department.

The D4 route linking Vinhomes Grand Park with Sài Gòn Bus Station will have a 20-minute interval between services.

It will pass areas housing high technology plants, new residential clusters and Thủ Đức City’s administrative centre, with major roads but few bus routes.

Its route is Sài Gòn Bus Station - Phạm Ngũ Lão - Yersin - Trần Hưng Đạo - Hàm Nghi - Nguyễn Thái Bình - Ký Con - Võ Văn Kiệt - Hầm vượt sông Sài Gòn - Mai Chí Thọ - Trần Quý Kiên - Bát Nàn - Trương Văn Bang - Phan Văn Đáng - Đồng Văn Cống - Mai Chí Thọ - Võ Chí Công - Lê Văn Việt - Nguyễn Văn Tăng - Nguyễn Xiển – Vinhomes Grand Park apartment quarter.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Lê Hòa Bình said the first electric bus service would help encourage local people to switch to a green mode of transportation, which is among the important targets of HCM City.

VinBus Ecology Transport Services Limited Liability Company (VinBus), the transport services arm of conglomerate Vingroup, proposed the trial run of five electric bus routes in the southern metropolis. It previously launched the first smart electric bus fleet of Việt Nam in Hà Nội.

The route will be open from 5am to 9.15pm every day.

The price is VNĐ3,000 (US$0.13) per ticket for students and VNĐ7,000 ($0.30) for others. The elderly, disabled and children under 1.3m can travel for free. — VNS