Ticket demand may outstrip supply

High demand for tickets is already becoming a headache for bus station owners in the run up to Tet (Lunar New Year), leaving some companies in Ho Chi Minh City concerned that they won\'t be able to cope, despite the holiday still being seven weeks off.

An estimated 1.3-1.4 million passengers are expected to travel from the city during the festival, 15 per cent more than last year.

Mien Dong (East-bound) and Mien Tay (West-bound) bus stations are likely to draw between 45,000 and 80,000 passengers daily in the lead up to Tet.

Mien Dong bus station had planned to sell bus tickets from January 4 but a number of transport companies have already put tickets on sale, with companies such as Thanh Ban and Sao Vang already sold out.

"The number of passengers booking seats on high-quality coaches was large," said the owner of one transport company.

Vo Thi Tham, of central Quang Ngai Province, said that she had to take time off work to buy tickets but still failed because of long queues.

"To prevent a rush on bus and train stations, the city\'s Transport Department allowed them to start selling tickets for Tet earlier than scheduled," said Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the department.

An additional 210 coaches will be put into service to cope with the holiday exodus at Mien Dong and Mien Tay from January 29-31.

Bus stations have been asked to work with transport companies to decide on dates when they can increase ticket fares; the rise will be 40 per cent at Mien Tay terminal and 60 per cent at Mien Dong Bus terminal.

The higher prices aim to compensate companies for losses suffered on poorly subscribed return routes.

In related news, the Sai Gon Railway Station has said it still has many tickets for travel to northern provinces, especially Vinh city and Ha Noi, from January 19 to 26.

Supplementary seats to Da Nang, Hue, Vinh and Ha Noi are also available for travel between January 25 and 31.