Côn Đảo, a special zone of HCM City, will launch the first electric bus route on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – HCM City will officially put into operation the first public electric bus route in the Côn Dảo Special Zone from Thursday, marking an important step toward building a modern, environmentally friendly public transport system for the island.

The Public Transport Management Centre under the city’s Department of Construction on Wednesday announced that electric bus Route No. 173 runs through 39 passenger pick-up and drop-off points, directly linking two locations with high travel demand — Côn Đảo Airport and Côn Đảo Market. The route has a total length of 17.1km, with a full journey time of around 30 minutes per trip.

Buses will operate daily from 5 am to 7pm, offering a convenient, safe and cost-effective transport option for visitors arriving on the island as well as for daily local travel.

The electric buses are designed with colours and symbols inspired by Côn Đảo’s natural characteristics. Blue represents the surrounding sea, green symbolises forest ecosystems, yellow symbolises sunlight, vitality and life, plus a dolphin emblem highlighting friendliness, dynamism and punctuality — core values of public transport services.

In the near future, the Public Transport Management Centre plans to coordinate with relevant agencies to launch five additional bus routes, numbered 174 to 178. Once fully implemented, the public transport network is expected to cover more than 90 per cent of key locations across Côn Đảo.

The launch of electric bus Route 173 is part of HCM City’s efforts in implementing the national green energy transition programme and reflects the city’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions. Using fully electric vehicles with zero greenhouse gas emissions, the route contributes to environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Côn Đảo. – VNA/VNS