Buses on the streets of Hà Nội. (no idea where)— VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

HÀ NỘI — The capital city Hà Nội is aiming to broaden the coverage of its bus network so that 80-90 per cent of residents in downtown areas can easily catch a bus by 2030.

This is part of Plan No. 201/KH-UBND, issued by the municipal People’s Committee, on developing local public transport between 2021 and 2030.

Infrastructure for public transport will be developed under the plan to ensure that by 2030, 80-90 per cent of residents in downtown areas have a bus service within 500 metres of their home against the current rate of below 80 per cent, and about 30 per cent for residents in suburban areas.

Hà Nội will work to expand its public transport network to populous places such as residential areas and industrial parks, outlying districts, and socio-economic development centres, while ensuring the network’s connectivity with transport hubs and other transport modes.

Traffic will be managed to prioritise public transport, while science and technology use will be increased in transport activities and communications will be enhanced to encourage people to use public transport.

Bus services currently meet only 16.08 per cent of travel demand in Hà Nội. The capital does, however, boast the largest bus network in the country, with 122 routes reaching all 30 district-level localities. — VNS