To save costs, many people have switched from personal vehicles to using public transport. According to representatives of Hanoi Metro, in the past two weeks, the number of passengers traveling on urban subways has increased sharply, averaging more than 70,000 passengers per day, nearly double compared to before March 2026.
On March 21, recorded at Cau Giay station (Nhon - Hanoi urban railway line), although it is a holiday, the number of passengers is still very large. Ms. Vu Kim Chi (in Tay Tuu) said that for nearly 1 month she has been going to work by public transport. After arriving at Cau Giay station, she switched to the bus to get to work, which is very convenient.
Although it is still crowded during rush hours in the morning and evening, public transport is now clean, no longer has social evils, so traveling is very comfortable," Ms. Chi shared.
Le Anh Tu (student of Hanoi University of Industry) said that with a monthly ticket for students for only 140,000 VND, traveling by train is very reasonable. Passengers can use tickets directly on their phones without having to buy paper tickets, and are not worried about being affected by weather or smoke and dust pollution.
At the same time, Mr. Nguyen Duc Son (Doai Phuong commune, Hanoi City) said that he often rides a motorbike from home to Nhon, parks his motorbike and then continues to take the train and bus to work. This way of transportation is both economical and has time to rest, without worrying about congestion and pollution. With the policy of supporting tickets for the elderly, travel becomes convenient, safe, and reduces worries for the family.
The frequency of trains is about 10–15 minutes/trip, during peak hours it is 6 minutes/trip, helping to travel conveniently, on time, and avoid congestion. This is also one of the reasons why many people choose public transport in the context of increasing living costs," Mr. Son shared.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc - Deputy General Director of Hanoi Railway Company Limited (Hanoi Metro) said that in the past 10 days, the number of passengers has increased sharply, from about 35,000 passengers/day (early March 2026) to nearly 80,000 passengers/day today. However, the number of passengers mainly focuses on peak hours.
Faced with this reality, Hanoi Metro is considering a plan to increase operating frequency during peak hours. Specifically, the morning peak time is extended from 6am–9:30am, and the afternoon from 4:30pm–19:30pm.
Also according to Mr. Ngoc, to meet the needs of the people, Hanoi City is researching to diversify the forms and types of tickets to create favorable conditions for people to access and use public transport.
