HÀ NỘI — A new app aims to help commuters navigate Hà Nội’s sprawling bus system, while a smart bus operation centre will collect data about vehicles’ timeliness and traffic violations as part of a larger plan to improve bus service in the capital city.

The Hà Nội Transport and Services Corporation (Transerco) on Thursday launched the operation centre and the app at timbuyt.vn for smart phones. The operation centre, which runs 1,000 buses on 92 routes, will use global positioning system (GPS) technology to gather information about each bus’s movement through traffic, said Nguyễn Hoàng Trung, general director of Transerco. Over time, centre staff will analyse the data to make changes to routes and service as necessary.

The smart software system also aims to increase safety by alerting supervisors when buses violate by traveling the wrong route, speeding and not being on time.

The new technology will also share data with customers in real-time through electronic notice boards at stops, helping them see when to expect their bus.

Beyond the notice boards, the new software, available in English and Vietnamese, allows customers to get transit updates on their phones. The app helps passengers find the best bus routes for their chosen departure point and destination and view different route options, bus schedules, ticket prices and procedures to buy monthly tickets.

Vũ Văn Viện, director of the Hà Nội Department of Transport, said that Hà Nội has been actively researching ways to reduce traffic jams, including improving public transit and limiting personal vehicles. The new technology is one component of this broader effort.

Viện praised the smart bus operation centre and the timbuyt.vn software. He said they will improve the bus services’ quality and also contribute to making Hà Nội a smart city, with public services connected to the Internet for data collection purposes.

If Hà Nội builds roads and improves infrastructure but does not apply up-to-date technology in transport, it will not be able to resolve traffic jams sustainably, he added. — VNS