According to Lao Dong, on the days before Tet, at Ben Thanh, Thao Dien, and National University stations, many passengers wore backpacks and dragged suitcases onto the metro train to Suoi Tien Bus Station to go to the new Mien Dong Bus Station to return home for Tet.
At Suoi Tien Bus Station, Mr. Nguyen Bao Duy (Thu Duc City) shared with reporters that this was the first time he experienced going to the bus station to go home by metro.
“The previous times, I had to take a motorbike taxi from Thao Dien to the new Mien Dong bus station, costing about 90,000 VND for a distance of 16km. One time, I had a lot of stuff, so I had to take a car, which cost nearly 200,000 VND, not to mention spending more than an hour struggling with traffic jams.
This time I went back to my hometown, there was a metro so I used it right away. It only cost me 20,000 VND for a motorbike taxi from my house to Thao Dien station, and only 14,000 VND for a metro ticket.
In total, it cost me 34,000 VND to get to the new Mien Dong bus station to go home, saving twice as much as if I went by motorbike and 5 times as much as if I went by car. Notably, the total travel time was only about 30 minutes,” Duy happily said.
Ms. Pham Hue and her daughter (living in Tan Binh district) also said that she feels comfortable and pleasant when traveling by metro.
“Every time I travel by shuttle bus, it takes nearly 30km and about 1 hour and a half if there is no traffic jam for the distance from my house to the new Mien Dong bus station.
Now, my mother and I spend 7,000 VND/person for the bus to Ben Thanh station, 20,000 VND/person from Ben Thanh station straight to Suoi Tien bus station. The total cost is about 27,000 VND/person, it saves time, and it is right next to the bus station, I find it suitable," Ms. Hue added.
An employee at Suoi Tien Bus Station also said that during this time, many people choose to travel by metro to the new Mien Dong Bus Station, especially near Tet. Therefore, the staff tries to serve passengers as best as possible to make the trip more comfortable and convenient.
According to the forecast from the new Eastern Bus Station, the station will welcome more than 138,300 passengers during the Tet peak period, an increase of more than 4,000 passengers compared to last year. Because at this time, in addition to traveling to the bus station by bus, shuttle bus... people also have the option of traveling by metro quickly and conveniently.
