On November 4, the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City sent a document to the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to post a draft resolution of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on policies to support users of public passenger transport services by bus and train, as well as financial support for public passenger transport activities in the city.
Regarding the fare support policy for bus and train users, the Ho Chi Minh City budget will support 100% of the fare for a number of policy subjects, including: People with revolutionary contributions; people with disabilities; the elderly (60 years of age and older) and children under 6 years of age accompanied by adults.
During the first 30 days of Metro Line 1's commercial operation, Ho Chi Minh City will spend the budget to support 100% of ticket prices for all train passengers and on 17 connecting bus routes.
According to calculations by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, the total support budget for policy beneficiaries is more than 32.6 billion VND/year.
Meanwhile, the cost of operating the train for people to experience Metro Line 1 for free for 30 days is 15.7 billion VND.
The support budget for passengers traveling on 17 bus routes connecting Metro Line 1 for 30 days is 17.3 billion VND.
In addition to the free ticket policy, Ho Chi Minh City will also provide funding for public passenger transport by bus and train.
Ho Chi Minh City's budget will cover the difference between ticket revenue and public passenger transport operating costs.
It is expected that the total budget to support public passenger transport by bus and tram will be 2,226 billion VND/year, of which 1,843 billion VND will be for bus operations and 383 billion VND will be for trams.
This policy is expected to be submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council at the December 2024 meeting and take effect from January 1, 2025, to encourage people to use public passenger transport services, contributing to reducing traffic congestion and environmental pollution.
Metro Line 1 is the first urban railway project in Ho Chi Minh City, with a total investment of over VND43,700 billion, nearly 20 km long, connecting the city center to the eastern gateway. The entire route has 11 elevated stations and 3 underground stations.
After 12 years of construction and many extensions of completion time, the project is now 98.81% complete and is targeted for commercial operation from December 22, 2024.
