Illegal buses and bus stations operate vigorously.
At noon on January 22, at Do Muoi Street (formerly National Highway 1) in Thu Duc City, many passengers with luggage sat waiting for the bus under the shade of trees, on the sidewalks near Linh Trung 1 Export Processing Zone.
Mr. Mai Van Minh (35 years old, from Phu Yen) shared: "Taking a bus outside the station is more convenient because there is no need to go far to the new Mien Dong bus station."
According to records, on the routes leading to the new Eastern Bus Station such as National Highway 13, Do Muoi Street,... "illegal buses and bus stations" are bustling due to the high travel demand during Tet.
While buses are picking up passengers outside, the new Eastern Bus Station (Thu Duc City) is quite deserted, even though there is only one week left until Tet.
According to Mr. Nguyen Lam Hai - Deputy Director of the new Eastern Bus Station, the number of passengers has increased in recent days compared to normal days, but still has not met expectations.
It is expected that in the 10 peak days before Tet, the new Mien Dong bus station will welcome about 90,000 passengers. This number is much lower than the old Mien Dong bus station (Binh Thanh district) - which only serves short routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, but is expected to welcome up to 140,000 passengers in the same period.
According to the leader of the new Eastern bus station, one of the main reasons why the bus station cannot attract passengers is because it is too far from the center and traffic connections are not convenient.
Furthermore, the outbreak of illegal buses and stations at the end of the year further affects transportation businesses in the stations.
After bus routes were transferred from the old Mien Dong bus station to the new station, many bus companies chose to operate outside the station or move to another station.
Some inter-provincial routes from An Suong, Nga Tu Ga, and Mien Tay bus stations pass through the new Mien Dong bus station, forcing bus companies to meet passengers on the road instead of at the station. This makes it even more difficult for the new Mien Dong bus station to attract passengers.
In addition, many passenger buses run on the wrong route, impersonating contract buses to pick up passengers on the road, making it even more difficult for bus companies in the station.
Solutions to attract customers and improve the situation
To attract passengers, since the beginning of 2025, the new Eastern Bus Station has deployed a 24/7 passenger transfer service in many areas such as Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh, Thu Duc City, etc. The transfer fee is included in the ticket price. However, the number of passengers using this service is not much.
The bus station has proposed that the management agency tighten the inspection of transport vehicles through journey monitoring devices. The goal is to ensure that vehicles registered at the station run on the correct routes and handle vehicles that violate regulations.
The new Eastern Bus Station also proposes to ban sleeper buses from entering the inner city 24/7, while promoting the development of public transport and upgrading the transport infrastructure connecting to the station.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that this Lunar New Year, passengers will have another option to go to the new Eastern Bus Station by Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).
Metro Line 1 takes passengers from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the bus station in just 30 minutes, without having to worry about traffic jams, heat or dust. From the train station entrance, passengers only need to walk less than 100 meters to reach the station entrance.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City still has 79 pick-up and drop-off points that do not comply with regulations. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that the Traffic Inspectorate is coordinating with relevant units to focus on checking and handling this situation, especially at gateway areas and around bus stations.
