Early in the morning, at the National University Station on Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien), some passengers said they had to wait in long lines because they could not swipe their cards to enter the gate. Some people had to leave the station to travel by bus to work.
Therefore, the station has to open the sale of manual paper tickets for passengers to use temporarily. After the journey ends, these tickets are collected by the staff at the control gate.
Ms. Cao Kim Hoa (residing in Thu Duc City) shared that when she arrived at the National University station this morning to take the metro to work in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, she had to wait for 20 minutes because the ticket control system was malfunctioning. After that, she decided to leave the station to travel by bus.
By around 9:30, everything at the stations was back to normal, and passengers were moving more easily. There were fewer passengers on the trains than during the free ticket period the previous days.
Mr. Le Minh Triet - Director of Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1), confirmed that passengers had to buy paper tickets to take the train this morning.
According to Mr. Triet, manual paper tickets are used for passengers who pay in cash and do not use the HCMC Metro app or Mastercard.
“Today, we will complete the installation of the automatic ticketing system. However, the company does not encourage passengers to use paper tickets,” Mr. Triet emphasized.
Amid the surge in passenger numbers at National University Station this morning, HURC1 has added a manual ticket vending machine with cashless payment capabilities to reduce congestion.
“In the immediate future, we encourage people to use the HCMC Metro app to avoid queuing to buy single-trip tickets. This is not only convenient but also helps reduce pressure on the ticketing system at stations,” Mr. Triet advised.
Regarding not accepting bank transfer payments, Mr. Triet said that the company is working with Momo and Napas to integrate payments into the ticket checking portal.
“By January 24 at the latest, passengers can use Momo QR codes or Napas cards to pass through the ticket gate without having to queue to buy single-trip tickets,” Mr. Triet added.
From January 21, after a 30-day free operation period, Metro Line 1 officially started collecting fares.
The fare is calculated based on the distance traveled, ranging from 7,000 to 20,000 VND/trip if paid in cash. With the non-cash method, passengers receive a slight discount, only from 6,000 to 19,000 VND/trip.
In addition to single-ride tickets, Metro Line 1 offers monthly passes priced at VND300,000 for general passengers and VND150,000 for students. Unlimited-ride passes are also available for VND40,000/day or VND90,000/three days.
Some groups that are exempt from ticket fees include people with revolutionary contributions, people with disabilities, the elderly and children under 6 years old.
