A traffic inspector discovers a passenger bus illegally parked on Nguyễn Duy Dương Street in HCM City’s District 5. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Linh

HCM CITY — HCM City traffic inspectors have begun to enhance inspections and handling of traffic violations of passenger transport services from now to February 21.

The aim is to ensure traffic safety and order during the year-end increase in transport demand, especially for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, which falls on February 12.

Đàm Phan Phát, deputy chief inspector of the city’s Department of Transport, said the action would focus on handling violations of vehicles running in the wrong direction and unauthorised passenger coaches disguised as tourist vehicles.

The traffic inspectors will also work with other units to check COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures at bus stations and bus stops, such as wearing masks and regularly disinfecting hands of both staff and passengers.

“The action will contribute to improving the quality of passenger transport, which will create a fair, healthy and competitive business environment for transport businesses, and better serve travel demand during the upcoming holidays,” Phát said.

Seven inspection teams have been set up to handle violations on passenger transport in key areas where there are regular occurrences of illegal stopping and parking, or picking up or dropping off passengers at wrong places.

The teams will strengthen inspections in the city centre, at Miền Đông (Eastern), Miền Tây (Western), Ngã Tư Ga and An Sương bus stations, around Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, on national highways No. 1A, 13 and 22, at Suối Tiên Theme Park, and at the city’s western gateway.

Earlier, the city traffic police started a two-month crackdown to handle road traffic violations from November 1 to December 31.

In the 2016-2020 period, city traffic police handled more than 2.2 million violations of road and railway transport, and 69,837 waterway traffic violations, collecting thousands of billions of đồng of administrative fines.

Compared with the 2011-2015 period, the number of traffic accidents in the period fell by 9,945 or 35.9 per cent, deaths by 413 or 10.9 per cent, and injured victims by 14,000 or 52.5 per cent.

In the next five years, the city targets reducing the number of traffic accidents, deaths and injuries by 5 per cent, the Department of Transport said. — VNS