This policy is very necessary, especially for many workers, students, and the elderly. When bus tickets are exempted, people have more reason to try to change their habits and create specific alternatives to personal vehicles.
However, free tickets are only a starting condition. For people to truly abandon motorbikes and private cars and switch to public transport, the decisive factor is not the zero ticket price, but the convenience of the entire public transport ecosystem.
A resident will not choose a bus if they have to walk too far from home to the stop, the waiting area has no roof, the bus route is winding, the waiting time is long, the bus arrives at the wrong time or cannot connect with the metro, river bus, public bicycle. An office worker also finds it difficult to quit their motorbike if after getting off the bus they still have to travel a few more kilometers to get to work. A parent finds it difficult to take their child to school by public transport if they have to change routes many times, lack information and take too much time.
Reality in Ho Chi Minh City shows that the rate of people using buses currently only reaches about 1.6%, much lower than the target of 7.23%. In Hanoi, the rate of people using buses is about 18% while the target is from 30-40%. One of the reasons is that the bus network does not fully cover new residential areas, many places do not have service routes, people have to walk far to access stops. Buses also do not have many priorities in traffic organization, often congested like other vehicles, so it is difficult to compete with motorbikes in terms of time.
Therefore, building a new interconnected public transport ecosystem is the "ticket" for people to choose. To change the travel habits that have been formed for decades, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City need to do more: Ensure vehicles are on time, clean, and safe; connect all types of transport into a unified network, bringing public transport closer to people,
When people see that public transport is not only cheaper but also more convenient, civilized and reliable, they will change themselves. That is the sustainable foundation for large cities to reduce private cars, reduce emissions, closely interconnect and move towards a green transportation ecosystem.
