Officials and experts of the Ministry of Transport want to develop a public inter-province bus network to curb the expansion of unlicensed bus operations.
The ministry held a conference in HCM City to seek opinions on development of a bus network and investment in bus stations across the country.
Le Do Muoi, deputy head of the ministry’s Institute of Strategy and Development, said the country has 3,497 inter-province routes, most of which are less than 300km, engaging 1,238 operators.
Muoi said some 22,000 buses work the routes, mostly in Hanoi and HCM City, with 563 bus terminals, only 475 of which are authorised.
Management in many localities is weak, leading to overlapping bus routes and overloaded services, Muoi said.
Transport deputy minister Le Dinh Tho said the frequency of services on inter-provincel bus routes should be 15 or 30 minutes to meet passenger demand.
He urged localities to encourage the participation of licensed operators.
Public transport development is considered an effective means of easing traffic congestion in Hanoi and HCM City.
HCM City needs some 30,000 buses to meet public demand, but has only 3,000. Hanoi needs 25,000 but has only 1,000 buses.
