The 85 bus route I often go, there are many waiting points without roof. I once witnessed the students standing huddled in the rain waiting for the bus. Many houses are seriously degraded, rusted iron frame, torn roof, damaged seats. Drowning, advertising ads, waste scattered are quite common, especially in areas far from the center. Some waiting houses lack light at night or lying close to the road, potentially unsafe for people, especially during rush hour. There are even points, behind the waiting house to become ... the toilet of those who lack consciousness.
Hanoi Bus Company is trying to change this. In the last days of April 2025, Hanoi has launched a campaign to renovate and maintain the waiting room and bus stop system throughout the city. This is a move to improve urban aesthetics, while enhancing the experience for passengers using public transport.
This renovation campaign was organized by the Hanoi City Traffic Management and Operation Center (Department of Construction). Hundreds of bus stops and waiting rooms on major streets such as Dien Bien Phu, Tran Phu, Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang Dieu, Giai Phong, Nguyen Trai... have been cleaned, repaired, painted new, replaced with broken glass, and had their roofs, seats, and signs cleaned. Thanks to that, the appearance of many bus shelters has become brighter and more spacious, contributing to building the image of the capital as green - clean - beautiful, civilized and modern.
However, it must be added that some people are not really aware of maintaining the facilities of bus shelters. The Traffic Management and Operation Center has called on people to join hands to protect public works, not to dump garbage, not to paint or sabotage. However, in reality, changing habits and raising public awareness still requires more time and synchronous solutions.
Traffic experts say that, in addition to the current renovation campaign, Hanoi needs to have a longer-term strategy in managing the bus shelter system. First of all, it is necessary to classify and prioritize investment in renovating houses that are severely degraded, especially in areas with high population density and high travel demand. In addition, the city needs to promote the socialization of maintenance and repair of waiting rooms, increase the application of technology in the management of smart stop and waiting room systems.
In the long term, Hanoi should integrate bus shelters with other convenient services such as free wifi, electronic systems that update vehicle arrival times, automatic water stations, to attract people to use more public transport at the same time, and at the same time, there should be a strict penalty mechanism for acts of sabotage and littering at shelters.
Renovating the bus stop is the right step, contributing to beautifying the city and improving the quality of public transport. This is the way to make buses more and more friendly and more popular with the people.
