Although it has entered the 25th day of Tet, the number of passengers coming to bus stations in Hanoi to buy tickets to return home for Tet has not recorded major fluctuations.
Records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters at Giap Bat Bus Station at 11:30 am on February 12 show that the number of passengers entering and leaving the station is equivalent to normal days. The ticket counter area is quite deserted, no crowded scenes appear.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tung - Director of Giap Bat Bus Station (Hanoi) - said that although the number of passengers has not increased much, the station has proactively built a contingency plan, ready from 150-250 vehicles/day to serve passengers in case of sudden demand.
According to Mr. Tung, in the coming days, the number of passengers may increase compared to normal days, but overloading is unlikely to occur. The bus station continues to create favorable conditions for passengers and transport businesses, from publicly listing fares to strictly controlling the operation of bus companies and drivers.
Due to the low number of passengers, short routes almost do not increase ticket prices. Currently, only 3 businesses running the Hanoi - Da Nang and Hanoi - Dak Lak routes have adjusted ticket prices to increase by about 60% compared to normal days," Mr. Tung informed.
At Nuoc Ngam Bus Station (Hanoi), the number of passengers is higher than usual but still under control. Some routes to the Nghe An and Ha Tinh areas recorded an increase in passenger volume, mainly passengers who booked tickets early. Meanwhile, long-distance routes such as Dak Lak, Nha Trang, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City are quite deserted.
Representatives of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station said that up to now, the station has not had to mobilize additional vehicles, although it has prepared a plan of 100 vehicles/day. It is expected that in the coming days, the number of passengers may increase by about 50%. The reason is that students have returned to their hometowns since February 8, while civil servants and freelancers are expected to move from February 13.
According to Mr. Trinh Hoai Nam - Deputy Director of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station, vehicles when departing must strictly comply with regulations on the number of passengers. In case of violation, they will be reminded and resolutely not allowed to depart; re-offending will be suspended.
From the transport business side, Mr. Le Tuan - driver of Phu My Hanh bus company (Hanoi - Tam Ky, Quang Nam route) - said that the number of passengers this year is lower than the same period last year, so the bus company did not increase fares, and there was no situation of passenger overcrowding.
A ticket seller of Tu Minh bus company (Hanoi - Cua Lo route) also said that most passengers have bought tickets in advance. However, due to the long Tet holiday this year, travel demand is scattered, less concentrated in the days leading up to Tet, so the risk of congestion and lack of vehicles is not high.
In order to ensure traffic order and safety in passenger transport activities during the Lunar New Year, the Traffic Police Department (CSGT) of Hanoi City Police has strengthened forces and synchronously deployed patrol and control measures on key routes.
Accordingly, traffic police units focus on inspecting fixed-route passenger transport vehicles, contract vehicles, limousine vehicles in the bus station area, train stations and gateways to the Capital. The inspection content mainly revolves around technical safety conditions of vehicles, driver's papers, safety assurance conditions for passengers; and at the same time strictly handle acts causing congestion such as stopping and parking in violation of regulations, picking up and dropping off passengers in the wrong places.
Statistics on February 11, Hanoi City Police Traffic Police force inspected, detected and recorded 113 cases of traffic order and safety violations. In the field of passenger transport alone, traffic police controlled 408 vehicles, handled 89 violations, including 27 fixed-route passenger cars, 51 contract cars, 10 taxis and 1 case of "combined" cars carrying passengers collecting money without business registration.
