Regulations governing the operations of coaches operating on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng route will soon be channged to restore traffic order and ensure safety. – Photo kinhtedothi.vn

HÀ NỘI – Regulations governing the operations of coaches operating on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng route will soon be channged to restore traffic order and ensure safety, said transport officials.

Under the proposal, coaches will have to follow bus station regulations and pick up and drop off passengers at designated bus stops.

Nguyễn Hoàng Anh, deputy head of Transport Department under the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam (DRVN) said, the management of coaches on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng route would be applied in October on National Highway 5 and then on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Expressway.

The unhealthy competition among transport enterprises has threatened traffic safety on National Highway 5.

About 13 transport operate on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng route, making 386 trips a day.

Hoàng Văn Vĩnh from the Department of Criminal Police said the department detected numerous violations by transport firms on the route.

Many transport firms and drivers did not follow bus station regulations, he said, adding that some created their own routes and schedules.

Many drivers had been injured in fights over customers while others had been threatened. In some cases, drivers drove slowly hoping to pick up more passengers.

The number of trips would remain unchanged excepting for an adjustment in schedule to make them more relevant, he said.

Khuất Việt Hùng, deputy chairman of National Traffic Safety Committee, said the Ministry of Transport (MoT) would supervise vehicles regularly to make sure they operate according to the right itinerary and schedule.

Khúc Hữu Thanh Hải, director of Đất Cảng Transport Company, applauded the MoT’s initiative, saying it would create favourable conditions for transport firms.

If all enterprises abide by the new model, unhealthy competition would be reduced dramatically, he said.

Nguyễn Văn Huyện , director of DRVN, said the bus-like management of coach services would help prevent illegal buses and stops.  "Once its success is proved, the initiative will be applied to all below 100km-fix routes nationwide," he said.

While some people applauded the proposal, others expressed concern over its feasibility.

Nguyễn Tuấn Cường from Hải Phòng City’s Đồ Sơn Township wondered whether passengers would be willing to stand all the way from Hà Nội to Hải Phòng while it cost only VNĐ70,000 (US$3) for a high-quality passenger coach ticket.

A number of transport firms told Kinh tế và đô thị (Economics and Urbans Affairs) newspaper that with so few passengers, conflicts were bound to happen as coaches depart the stations every 3 minutes.

Nguyễn Văn Thanh, chairman of the Việt Nam Automobile Association, urged relevant authorities to carefully consider the bus operation on the route, citing high rates of urbanisation and crowded coaches on the route. — VNS