The Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center (under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction) has just approved the results of the selection of a contractor to provide public passenger transport services by bus.
Of the 37 routes competed this time, Phuong Trang - Futabuslines Passenger Transport Joint Stock Company won 35 routes including: 03, 07, 14, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 34, 36, 39, 44, 46, 48, 55, 58, 71, 76, 77, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90. 100, 103, 104, 107, 126, 128, 145, 146.
Vinbus Eco-T transportation Services Co., Ltd. won 2 routes: 33 and 150.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center, a total of 600 vehicles will be put into operation on 37 routes, including 256 electric buses, 43 vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG) and 301 diesel vehicles. Notably, 557 of these are new vehicles manufactured in 2025.
These routes are currently operated by 8 units, including 7 cooperatives and 1 enterprise, Saigon Passenger Transport Joint Stock Company.
Mr. Le Hoan - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center - said that in July, the city will negotiate contracts and plan to immediately exploit the winning bidding routes in the month.
The implementation is aimed at increasing connectivity, improving service quality and getting closer to the goal of "green transformation" of the public transport system.
However, Mr. Le Hoan also admitted that the big challenge at present is the lack of charging stations for electric vehicles.
"The units have made efforts but have not met the demand. The center will continue to work with departments and branches to support contractors in developing a network of charging stations, while removing obstacles in converting to green vehicles" - Mr. Hoan said.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 138 bus routes, including 108 subsidized routes and 30 non-subsidized routes, with a total of about 2,221 vehicles.
Of which, there are 168 electric buses and 528 vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG).
Since 2022, Ho Chi Minh City has begun piloting 5 electric bus routes. Up to now, route D4 (Vinhomes Grand Park - Saigon Bus Station) has been put into operation.
At the end of 2024, the city will continue to open 17 new electric bus routes to " cater" to Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).
In the 2025 - 2030 period, Ho Chi Minh City plans to open 72 more bus routes, bringing the total number of routes to 210.
According to Ho Chi Minh City's plan, from 2025 to 2029, diesel buses that have been in operation for 15 years or more will gradually be replaced by electric vehicles or vehicles using green energy.
The route is that by 2027, there will be 32 bus routes with 572 diesel cars switching to electric cars; in 2028, there will be 21 more routes with nearly 400 cars; in 2029, there will be 19 routes with 268 cars. By 2030, the remaining routes will continue to be converted to 100% electric vehicles, green energy.
For non-subsidized bus routes (internal and inter-provincial), from 2025, all new routes or replacement vehicles must be electric vehicles.
