Ticket exemption and reduction associated with improving quality
According to the Hanoi Department of Construction, the deployment of electronic ticket cards will help management agencies accurately determine the rate of public passenger transport use, thereby adjusting the route network to suit actual needs.
In Hanoi, the volume of passengers transported on the two urban railway lines Cat Linh - Ha Dong and Nhon - Hanoi Station reached an average of about 71,000 trips/day (Cat Linh - Ha Dong line reached 39,500 trips; Nhon - Hanoi Station line reached 31,500 trips), an increase of 5.3% compared to the time before the gasoline and oil price adjustment. The volume of passengers traveling by bus per trip (excluding monthly tickets and free subjects) reached 92,200 trips/day, an increase of about 1.2% compared to the period before the gasoline and oil price adjustment.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thai - Head of the Faculty of Economic Transport, University of Transport - said that in the context of high fuel prices, people switching from personal vehicles to public transport is a positive sign.
According to Mr. Thai, public transport fares are currently not high compared to the cost of using personal vehicles. When fuel prices increase, people will consider more about costs. In addition, Hanoi City has applied a policy of exemption and reduction for many groups of subjects, so maintaining stable fares is also a form of support. "Current fares have been subsidized; in the context of rising fuel prices, not increasing fares is also a way to exempt and reduce" - Mr. Thai said.
Improving policies, increasing the attractiveness of public transport
Experts believe that ticket price support is necessary to attract people to use public transport. However, it is necessary to simplify administrative procedures; those who are exempted or reduced can use student cards or citizen ID cards when getting on the bus, instead of having to register with complicated procedures.
Currently, Hanoi spends more than 1,300 billion VND/year to subsidize public transport, while revenue from ticket sales only reaches more than 300 billion VND. Costs for ticket sales, ticket control and management stages still account for a significant proportion. Therefore, promoting the application of technology and deploying electronic ticket cards will help reduce operating costs and improve management efficiency.
In the long term, experts propose that Hanoi should continue to expand the network of routes, increase the number of waiting rooms, improve punctuality and improve service quality. At the same time, it is possible to consider expanding the subjects of exemption and reduction, towards deeply reducing costs for people to encourage abandoning personal vehicles.
The city needs to invest in more small buses (9 - 16 seats) to access residential areas, apartments, small roads, connecting with major traffic axes. New vehicles need to be fuel-efficient, conveniently designed, and ensure passenger safety.
According to Mr. Dao Viet Long - Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Construction, public passenger transport is currently not attractive enough to replace personal vehicles. The new urban railway is in its early stages with two separate lines; while buses, although already "covered" widely, have low punctuality rates and have not created trust for people.
Completing the policy of toll exemption and reduction associated with improving service quality is expected to be an important solution, contributing to building a modern and sustainable urban transport system" - a representative of the Hanoi Department of Construction said.
