Loss of more than 2 billion VND within 1 year of implementation
Public bicycle rental service will be deployed in Hanoi from August 24, 2023. The project aims to reduce traffic congestion, minimize environmental pollution... to move towards a green - clean - beautiful capital.
According to the survey of PV, bus stations have been widely covered, especially in locations near train stations, tourist attractions and schools. This is also the goal of the project to increase the connection between types of public transport.
Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nga (Ha Dong district) - an office worker at a company on Nguyen Chi Thanh street (Dong Da district) shared that for nearly a year now she has combined 2 types of public transportation to go to work.
Accordingly, Ms. Nga will take the train from Van Quan to Lang station. After getting off the train, Ms. Nga will ride a public bicycle from Lang station and return the bicycle at the station near the Women's Academy. From the bicycle return point to Ms. Nga's workplace is only about 300m, very convenient.
Regarding the operation situation, speaking with Lao Dong Newspaper reporter, Mr. Do Ba Quan - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tri Nam Digital Transport Company said that up to now, the unit has deployed more than 700 bicycles at 99 locations in 6 inner-city districts of Hanoi. The service has also attracted more than 208,000 registered customers, with an average of nearly 700 new customers registering each day. Nearly 340 thousand trips have been made since the pilot.
According to Mr. Do Ba Quan, in 1 year of pilot implementation, revenue from the service is estimated to reach more than 3.7 billion VND. However, compared to the cost of operating the service, the loss is more than 2 billion VND.
Assessing the factors affecting revenue, the representative of the project implementation unit said that the first thing to talk about is the service price. Accordingly, the current rental price is very cheap, only 5,000 VND/30 minutes for traditional bicycles, 10,000 VND/30 minutes for electric bicycles. At the end of a 30-minute trip, the renter will pay 6,000 VND, including 5,000 VND for the rental fee and 1,000 VND for insurance.
Besides, the unit also regularly offers incentives to stimulate demand and attract people to use the service.
"People will only use cheap tickets. Meanwhile, we are not subsidized like buses and trains, so we have to be proactive in all operating costs," said Mr. Do Ba Quan.
In addition, the entire system has not yet reached 1,000 vehicles as planned, leading to revenue not reaching the plan.
Businesses want support mechanisms
According to Dr. Phan Le Binh - Lecturer at Vietnam - Japan University, public bicycles not only contribute to environmental protection, but also create a new tourism product for the capital.
Besides, when there are public bicycles, people also have more options for their means of transportation.
However, this service is still only in the pilot stage. Hanoi City creates conditions for free use of some sidewalk sections in districts to install bus stations.
In addition, there is no other support mechanism. This is also a major concern for businesses in continuing to develop services.
"Our service has not been recognized as public transport, which means it has not enjoyed the policies and mechanisms for public transport. Not to mention the cost of renting sidewalks when the pilot period ends.
Hopefully, there will soon be a mechanism to serve as a basis for officially implementing urban bicycle services in Hanoi," said Mr. Do Ba Quan - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tri Nam Digital Transport Company.
