Ho Chi Minh City free tickets on 134 bus routes
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Council has approved a policy of free tickets for 134 bus routes, including 109 subsidized routes and 25 non-subsidized routes, applied from July 1 to the end of 2026. The policy is implemented in two phases. From July to the end of September, passengers traveling on free bus routes do not need to scan cards or perform identification. The city will pay transport units based on the revenue of each trip.
From October to the end of 2026, passengers will still be free of charge but need to be authenticated through electronic forms such as bank cards, e-wallets, VNeID accounts, MultiGo applications or other digital payment methods. Data from the electronic ticket system will be used for comparison and payment based on the actual number of passengers.
For the elderly, people with disabilities, students and other special cases, the city will have separate instructions to ensure convenience in the process of using the service.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen (31 years old) - working in Xuan Hoa ward - shared that buses are a means of transport she uses quite often. Although the fare is not high, the cumulative travel costs for the whole month are still a significant amount for people who have to travel every day. "Free tickets will help reduce living costs. More importantly, this may be an opportunity for many people who are used to riding motorbikes to try switching to using buses," Ms. Huyen said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lan Anh (27 years old), an office worker working in Saigon ward, believes that buses can completely become a daily means of transportation for workers if the network is convenient enough and service quality is improved. "People not only need free tickets but also covered stops, convenient connections with metro, river buses, public bicycles and a friendlier service attitude" - Ms. Lan Anh said.
Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction - informed that along with the free ticket policy, the city is promoting the conversion of vehicles towards green, clean and modern; and at the same time upgrading infrastructure, improving the system of stops, waiting rooms and service quality to improve the experience for passengers.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City's public transport network includes Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) and 180 bus routes. Out of a total of 2,432 operating buses, 1,649 use electricity or environmentally friendly fuels. The city aims to convert 100% of inter-provincial buses to green energy by early 2027, continuing to maintain the leading position in Southeast Asia in terms of environmentally friendly bus rates.
To gradually change people's habits
In Hanoi, the Hanoi People's Council has also just passed 54 resolutions, including regulations on policies to support the conversion of road vehicles from using fossil fuels to clean energy and encourage the use of public transport.
According to the resolution, from July 1, 2026 to the end of June 30, 2027, Hanoi exempts bus fares, excluding buses serving tourism business, for passengers taking trips from within Ring Road 1. Passengers traveling from Ring Road 1 are entitled to the fare exemption policy, even when using radial routes, routes connecting the central area with the suburbs or other areas of the city.
This is a very noteworthy point, because the policy does not distinguish between types of bus routes but determines by subjects and scope of impact. People in areas directly affected by the low-emission zone route will be supported with travel costs in the initial phase, thereby having more conditions to switch from personal vehicles to public passenger transport.
According to the Hanoi People's Committee, the bus ticket exemption policy aims to directly support the group most affected by the roadmap to restrict fossil fuel vehicles according to Directive No. 20 of the Prime Minister and the roadmap for deploying low-emission zones of the city.
Ring Road 1 is the area that implements emission control solutions and limits vehicles using fossil fuels earliest. Therefore, people living, working or regularly traveling in this area are the first group to be affected.
The exemption of bus tickets for 1 year can therefore be considered a necessary "cushion" policy. When the city gradually organizes low-emission zones and restricts polluting vehicles, people need alternative plans. If only personal vehicles are restricted without creating favorable conditions for public transport, the policy will hardly receive widespread consensus.
Ms. Tran Thi Cuc in Long Bien ward, Hanoi proposed: "I hope this bus free policy will be implemented more widely, so that people gradually change their habits of using personal vehicles, focusing on public transport to improve the city's environment.
From another perspective, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Quynh Nhi commented: "There are many tourist destinations in the inner city, and free bus tickets will promote tourism in the capital.
In parallel with the vehicle greening process, Ho Chi Minh City is also promoting the digitalization of the public transport system. The electronic ticket system has been deployed on 135 bus routes with more than 1,982 vehicles and at all 14 Metro stations No. 1.
People can pay by bank card, e-wallet, chip-based citizen identification card, VNeID application or QR code. The system is gradually being interconnected between buses, metro, river buses and public bicycles, towards forming a unified and convenient public transport ecosystem.
