Reporters' records at the Saigon Bus Station area and bus stops on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Cach Mang Thang Tam, Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Pham Ngoc Thach, Ham Nghi streets,... show that the appearance of many items has changed significantly compared to before.
Many waiting rooms are cleaned up, seats are replaced. At many stops, the roadway for buses picking up and dropping off passengers is painted with reflective blue, helping vehicles easily recognize the parking location. Many old, degraded stop poles are also replaced with modern designs, synchronized with the urban landscape.
Notably, the public restroom system at Saigon Bus Station has just been put into use with spacious, clean space, full equipment and a separate area for people with disabilities. This is one of the amenities that many passengers are looking forward to after many years of the bus station not being invested synchronously.
Returning to the 23/9 Bus Center after a long time, Ms. Dao Thi Thanh Huyen could not hide her surprise at the new appearance of this area.
I am really surprised because the bus center is now cleaner and more spacious than before. Waiting seats have also been replaced, so it feels very comfortable. I am happy that buses are increasingly being invested in. I think with these utilities, in the future, I will take more buses," Ms. Huyen shared.
However, according to Ms. Huyen, the instruction system at the bus lanes still needs to be improved. "Many people, especially the elderly, are still confused about which lane to stand in to wait for the correct bus route. If there is a larger instruction board, clearly stating the number of routes in each lane, similar to Ham Nghi station, it will be much more convenient," Ms. Huyen said.
Recognizing the positive changes, Mr. Duong Bao Trung said that the renovation of bus stops will contribute to attracting people to use public transport more.
Bus stops are newly built, more modern, many previous inconveniences have been overcome, so the experience will definitely be better. I think along with the upcoming free ticket policy, more people will choose buses instead of personal vehicles," Mr. Trung shared.
According to Mr. Trung, for these changes to be effective in the long term, each citizen also needs to be aware of maintaining hygiene and protecting property at bus stops so that all passengers have a good experience, and importantly, to keep passengers on the bus.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center, from July 1, people will be 100% free of fares on 134 bus routes.
From July 1 to the end of September 30, passengers are allowed to travel for free without needing authentication or identification.
From October 1st to the end of 2026, ticket exemption will be associated with electronic identification forms such as citizen identification cards, VNeID, bank cards, e-wallets or MultiGo applications.
In addition to the free ticket policy, the city has also deployed an electronic ticket system on 134 bus routes with nearly 2,000 vehicles equipped with card readers. The MultiGo application allows people to look up routes, track vehicle arrival times, pay and report incidents.
In the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to study adding roofs at connection points between buses and Metro Line 1, and at the same time invest in more parking lots and smart parking spots to create convenience for people when using public transport.
