The city’s Public Transport Management Centre will assess the trial use of smart cards and make adjustments before card usage is carried out on all bus routes in the city. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

HCM CITY — After a trial period of one month, only 600 smart bus cards in HCM City have been issued to passengers, partly due to unfamiliarity with the system.

Many passengers said they would like to use the smart card to pay for the bus fee, but they do not have an email account or a smartphone, or do not know how to use the QR code.

The city’s Public Transport Management Centre said the pilot smart card project for cashless payments on public buses was still in the testing phase.

In addition, many passengers are still using monthly tickets for public buses for all routes, and the card can only be tested on some routes.

The city’s Public Transport Management Centre will continue to assess the project and make adjustments.

Passengers can register for the card for free at the 23-9 Park or Tôn Đức Thắng University.

In the first phase of the trial, nine bus routes, No 30, 50, 52, 55, 59, 68, 86, 93 and 141, have been using smart cards.

In the second phrase, starting in July, the city will add seven bus routes: No 10, 18, 28, 45, 54, 91, and 150.

During the trial period, the purchase of tickets by cash and the presence of bus attendants will be maintained until passengers get used to the smart card.

According to the centre, the smart card can be used for other public transport including bus rapid transit, waterway bus and the city’s Metro system in the future.

After one year of trial, the city will evaluate and make adjustments before expanding the use of smart cards on the remaining bus routes in the city. — VNS