On the afternoon of January 23, the old Eastern bus station area became bustling as hundreds of people brought their luggage and belongings here to prepare to board the bus to return home for Tet.
Inside the parking area, passengers were standing and sitting everywhere waiting for their departure time. As the evening wore on, more and more people poured in, causing traffic around the station to become more crowded.
Currently, the old Mien Dong bus station only serves a few fixed routes to the provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak... However, people's travel demand increases during Tet because this is a familiar destination.
At the ticketing area, although many passengers had booked tickets online, there were still quite a few people who came to the station to buy tickets directly.
Sleeper bus tickets to the Central Highlands and Southeast provinces are almost sold out, forcing some people to switch to buying seat bus tickets.
Mr. Do Phu Dat - Deputy General Director of Mien Dong Bus Station, said that it is expected that during the 20 peak days of Tet (10 days before and 10 days after Tet), the bus station will serve about 182,000 passengers.
Peak from January 22 to January 27 (ie from December 23 to 28), the number of visitors fluctuates from 17,000 to 19,000 per day.
“The buses during peak days are almost full. We have arranged additional buses to ensure that people’s travel needs are met,” Mr. Dat shared.
Regarding ticket prices, Mr. Dat said that the maximum increase allowed is 60% and must be publicly posted. If violations are detected, people can report them directly for timely support.
