HÀ NỘI — Coach operators who are not following changes in the bus routes as instructed by the Hà Nội’s transport authority would be forced to halt operations for a month.

This was stated by Hà Huy Quang, deputy director of the city’s Department of Transport.

By Friday, the department would re-examine the implementation of the changes by coach operators at bus stations in the city. Violators would have their operation badges revoked for a month, he said.

He made the statement after trans-provincial coach operators refused to take on passengers at Mỹ Đình Bus Station as a way of protest against the route changes by the department.

According to the department’s plan, coach routes linking the city with the northern provinces of Thái Bình and Nam Định and the central provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Thanh Hoá and Nghệ An would be requested to move the departure point from Mỹ Đình to Nước Ngầm Bus Station, which was nearly 15 kilometres away.

The changes were aimed at reducing congestion and came into effect on January 2.

Previously, the city’s department had asked provincial departments to inform bus companies of the changes and told transport companies to co-ordinate closely with relevant offices and station management boards to urgently finalise contracts with the new stations.

Currently, as many as 12 transport enterprises have not changed their departure points as regulated.

In December, the department announced changes in bus routes from Hà Nội to other localities. Bus routes from the city to the provinces of Đắk Lắk and Gia Lai in the Central Highlands, Hà Tĩnh, Nghệ An in the central region, and Nam Định, Thái Bình, Thanh Hoá and Ninh Bình in the north, would move to Nước Ngầm Station. Currently, buses leave from six different stations -- Mỹ Đình, Gia Lâm, Yên Nghĩa and Sơn Tây, as well as Trôi and Phùng.        

Bus routes linking the city with the northern provinces of Bắc Kạn, Cao Bằng, Hà Giang and Lai Châu, as well as Lào Cai, Phú Thọ, Quảng Nam, Thái Nguyên, Tuyên Quang, Vĩnh Phúc, and Yên Bái would be shifted to Mỹ Đình Station.     

Routes linking the city with the provinces of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu in the south, Kon Tum and Đắk Nông in the Central Highland, and Điện Biên, Hoà Bình and Thanh Hoá in the north would be transferred from Mỹ Đình, Giáp Bát and Nước Ngầm to Yên Nghĩa Station.

Passengers to the northern provinces of Hà Nam, Hải Dương, Hải Phòng and Hưng Yên would depart from Giáp Bát Station in the south of the city, while those going to the provinces of Bắc Giang and Lạng Sơn would depart from Gia Lâm Station. —  VNS