No customers, poor performance
In order to encourage and promote people to use public transport and limit people to use personal vehicles, Da Nang has put into operation subsidized bus routes. However, many people say that Da Nang buses are facing many difficulties in attracting passengers.
Ms. Bui Thi Hong Minh, a resident of Da Nang City, said: "The number of people using public transport is currently limited, and most bus routes are not operating effectively."
In industrial parks, buses stop outside the gates and fences of the industrial parks, so workers have to walk 20 minutes to get to work.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phu - Deputy Director of Daiwa Da Nang Co., Ltd. - informed that currently, the city has many bus routes but they mainly run on the outside routes, there are no routes running into industrial zones (passing through businesses). This makes it impossible for workers to choose the bus to get to work.
"Around 4:30 p.m. every day is the time when workers get off work and go home, so the roads from the industrial park to main roads like Highway 5 are very difficult to travel.
"If bus routes are expanded to routes that pass through businesses, it will help workers have more opportunities to take the bus. This will also significantly reduce traffic congestion during overtime hours," Mr. Nguyen Van Phu stated.
Increase frequency, improve bus quality
According to Mr. Bui Hong Trung, Director of the Department of Transport of Da Nang City, the organization of bus subsidies has been implemented since 2017, so experience in operation and management still has certain limitations.
One of the reasons given by the Director of the Department of Transport of Da Nang City is that currently most of the houses are adjacent, the frontage is mainly used for business and commerce, so it encroaches on the sidewalk, leaving no space for pedestrians. This reduces the ability to access public transport. Not allowing buses to stop and park in front of people's houses also hinders people's access to buses. Or the habit of people not walking but using personal vehicles is also a difficulty and challenge for this unit in managing and operating public buses.
“Compared to the population, the bus subsidy rate for a person in Da Nang is currently around 30,000 VND/person. The number of passengers using subsidized buses increased by 30-50% before the pandemic. However, after the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth rate reached more than 900,000. From 2022 to now, more than 1.7 million people have used buses. These are encouraging results for the operating unit.
We also regularly receive requests to increase trip frequency and change to larger vehicle sizes to serve people's travel needs," said Mr. Bui Hong Trung.
In the coming time, the Department of Transport will continue to promote communication, creating the best conditions for people to access buses when expanding the network to increase coverage. Research and deploy dedicated routes to schools and businesses. Strengthen connection methods, arrange personal parking spots at transit points for people to conveniently use the bus. At the same time, enhance information on bus routes, stop locations and maintain subsidy methods for disadvantaged groups, low-income groups, and bus routes connecting remote areas of Hoa Vang district.
