Public buses have been left deserted during the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak in HCM City.
Over 30 buses have stopped running. According to a driver, all buses to Go Vap District, Long An Province or Bien Hoa City have stopped running. The hop-on, hop-off buses have been left idle due to the lack of tourists and stay-home advice.
Each bus is only allowed to pick up eight passengers but sometimes, even those seats can't be filled. There are only two or three passengers on each bus at most. The passengers will be given handwash and must fill in the medical declaration forms on the bus or else they will be denied services.
The 5,600-square-metre bus station on Ham Nghi Street is nearly empty.
Driver Doan Minh Phung said when they have their capacity eight passengers, the bus will display a sign but they still stop at the bus stops to give a brief explanation for waiting passengers. They still make an exception for old people, disabled people or pregnant women. However, sometimes, they don't have a single passenger.
"My family is in Long An Province. I used to go home when I had two or three days off. But now I'll have to be quarantined if I go home. My wife told me to stay in HCM City for the time being because an area was locked down near our house," he said.