HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội’s People’s Committee has asked the management boards of coach stations to ensure that tickets are not illegally overpriced during the National Independence holiday, from September 2 to 4.

Nguyễn Anh Toàn, director of Hà Nội Bus Station Company, said the company has proposed to the municipal transport department that 300 bus badges be added during the holiday.

Đào Việt Long, head of transport management division of Hà Nội’s Department of Transport, said no coach operators have asked for a hike in ticket prices so far.

Trần Đăng Hải, chief inspector of the department, told the Giao Thông (Transport) newspaper that the department has mobilised inspection teams at Mỹ Đình, Nước Ngầm and Giáp Bát coach stations for tighter checks before and after the holiday. The entire department force will be on duty at traffic congestion spots to manage traffic flow, he added.

In HCM City, the municipal transport department has set up mobile teams to manage traffic flow at traffic hot spots around Tân Sơn Nhất Airport, Cát Lái Port and the An Phú crossroad leading to the HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây expressway.

Trần Quốc Khánh, chief inspector of HCM City’s Department of Transport, said the unit would step up supervision at pick-up and drop-off points in the inner city, especially along highway routes from coach stations to other provinces.

Kiều Nam Thành, general director of the eastern coach station in HCM City, said the number of passengers is estimated to reach 40,300 on the peak day, September 1. “People will mostly take short routes. The coach station has worked with transport agencies to mobilise 100 additional coaches,” he said.

The southern city’s western coach station expects to see 54,000 to 56,000 passengers each day during the holidays. The station management board has asked for 30 additional buses to deal with the demand.

Railway tickets still available

To better serve commuter demand, the Việt Nam Railway Corporation will run 26 additional trains.

Phạm Thị Anh Đào, director of Hà Nội Railway Transport Business Centre, said the Hà Nội railway sector would add 14 trains. In all, it will run around 120 trains with a capacity of 90,000 seats. She expects that the number of commuters will not be too high, and that most would be people whose hometowns are a short distance away. Train tickets are still largely available, though seats on the Hà Nội-Lào Cai route are almost full with tourists heading to Sa Pa Town.

In the south, the Sài Gòn railway company has added 12 trains and all trains are almost fully booked, especially trains to Nha Trang and Phan Thiết.

Ticket prices are slightly higher for routes with a high number of passengers, and 20 per cent lower for routes with fewer passengers.

In Đà Nẵng City, train tickets will cost 15 to 20 per cent more depending on the seat type.

Meanwhile, airlines do not plan to increase the number of flights for the holiday. – VNS