HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport has informed the Prime Minister that a more thorough review of all bus and coach routes in the capital city will be carried out to balance supply and demand.

In a report sent to the PM on Wednesday, the MoT said the review would help foster close links between major coach terminals in the city and streamline their operations.

The latest move follows dissatisfaction among coach operators over major changes in coach schedules ordered by the municipal Department of Transport since January.

The changes aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

In its report, the MoT has suggested that the PM asks the Hà Nội’s People’s Committee to direct local authorities to continue reviewing the city’s entire transport system so that the new routes are more effectively arranged.

It also mentions operations at the Nước Ngầm and Giáp Bát bus terminals in the south of the city will be reorganised to ensue fair and transparent competition among coaches operating on routes linking Hà Nội to the northern provinces of Hà Nam, Ninh Bình, Nam Định, Thanh Hóa and Thái Bình.

The ministry has asked Hà Nội to publicise all of its bus terminal plans, including a “significant clarification” of schedules for the Nước Ngầm terminal, and to provide adequate information on operations at the Gia Lâm bus terminal.

It said information on the construction, upgrade and operations of other coach stations including Cổ Bi, Giáp Bát and Yên Sở should be provided in time to drivers and operators so that they can adjust their investment and operation plans.

The ministry and the Hà Nội’s People’s Committee asked the city’s police and local transport authorities to carry out inspections and deal with the issue of illegal bus stops in the cities.

They also ordered stricter punishment for violators, including those refusing to follow the rerouting changes initiated by the Hà Nội Department of Transport.

Earlier, dozens of inter-provincial coach operators refused to take on passengers at the Mỹ Đình Terminal to protest against the route changes.

Hà Huy Quang, deputy director of the city’s Department of Transport, said recently that coach operators not following changes in the bus routes would be forced to halt operations for a month.

In December, the department had announced many changes in coach routes from Hà Nội to other localities.

The changes covered 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. For these routes, the departure point was moved from Mỹ Đình to the Nước Ngầm Bus Station, nearly 15km away. —  VNS