Strong travel demand at the beginning of the September 2 holiday caused many passenger bus routes to be fully booked on the 28th and 29th. 8. Bus stations have developed contingency plans, ready to increase trips when the number of passengers increases sharply.
Records on some passenger bus routes from Hanoi to the northern and central provinces show that passenger travel demand tends to focus on the last working day before the holiday and the first day of the holiday. From August 30, the number of ticket bookings gradually decreased, many trips still have seats.
On the Hanoi - Son La route, Hai Van bus company is almost fully booked on trips on the 28th and 29th. On August 28, all 19 trips were fully booked. On August 29, the company increased 3 trips, bringing the total number to 22 trips, but all of these trips were also fully booked.
From August 30 to the end of the holiday, the number of customers booking tickets in the Hanoi - Son La direction will gradually decrease.
A similar situation occurred on the Hanoi - Dien Bien route. On August 28 and 29, all 9 flights per day were fully booked. On August 30, the airline arranged 7 flights and there are still many empty seats. Ticket prices on this route range from 450,000 to 680,000 VND.
Meanwhile, the Hanoi - Sa Pa route still has many empty seats. According to transport businesses, one of the reasons is that the number of vehicles operating on the route is quite large, creating more choices for passengers.
Mr. Do Van Bang - representative of Sao Viet bus company running the Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sa Pa route said that on August 28, the company arranged 27 trips from Hanoi to Sa Pa. Among them, 17 trips have run out of tickets, mainly concentrated in the late afternoon and evening; 10 day trips still have tickets available. Ticket price from 450,000 VND for 21-seat cabin cars.
On August 29, the airline plans to arrange 38 flights, of which 17 flights are out of beds, mainly in the early morning to noon hours and from 10 pm onwards. The remaining 21 flights are only about 1-5 beds each.
From August 30 and the following days, the airline maintains more than 30 flights/day, but the number of customers booking tickets is gradually decreasing, and there are still many empty beds on flights.
On routes from Hanoi to the Central region, ticket scalping also occurred on many trips. Van Minh bus company arranged 70 Hanoi - Nghe An routes on August 28, most of which are sold out. Only 11 trips are still available, each trip about 1-3 tickets.
On the Hanoi - Ha Tinh route, on August 28, the airline only had 5/41 flights with tickets left, each flight with 1-4 tickets left. On August 29, there were still 20/41 flights with seats but the number was not large.
According to Mr. Tran Manh Ha - Deputy Director of Giap Bat Bus Station, the largest number of passengers taking passenger cars is expected to concentrate on the last working day before the holiday and the first day of the holiday.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lap - Director of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station said that predicting increased travel demand during the September 2nd holiday, the bus station has developed a detailed plan to serve passengers and transport businesses.
According to forecasts, passengers at Nuoc Ngam Bus Station will be concentrated on routes to Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Da Nang. The number of passengers during the peak period is likely to increase by 150-160% compared to normal days.
The bus station has requested transport businesses to develop contingency plans, ready to respond in case the number of passengers increases suddenly. Drivers and assistants are required to commit not to transport flammable and explosive substances, prohibited goods, and counterfeit goods; not to carry overloaded goods and not to charge fares higher than the registered level.
In addition, Nuoc Ngam Bus Station strengthens the inspection of vehicles entering to park passengers, focusing on documents such as vehicle registration, inspection, badges and technical safety conditions.
Vehicles that do not meet quality standards, are overloaded or have drivers using alcohol will be refused departure to ensure passenger safety.
The bus station also proactively coordinates with functional forces in the area to ensure security and order, traffic safety inside and outside the station area, and is ready to mobilize vehicles to increase when travel demand increases.
