After more than a month of implementing the free bus ticket policy, Ho Chi Minh City recorded more than 10.5 million passengers using 134 subsidized bus routes, an increase of 42% compared to the same period last year.
That is a signal that when policies are correct and attractive enough, people are willing to change their travel habits.
Everyone wants streets to be less congested and air pollution to be reduced, but very few people want to give up personal vehicles.
To change that, we cannot just call for or propagate, but must create convenience.
Free bus tickets are the first step for people to experience the service. But what is more noteworthy is the next step, building an interconnected, digital and "one-touch" public transport system.
In other words, the city not only wants people to get on buses because they are free of fares, but also wants them to continue to choose buses and the metro because it is more convenient.
Reality shows that people often do not refuse public transport because of a few thousand VND in fares. What makes them hesitant to use it is having to change many vehicles, wait for a long time, and pay complicatedly.
Therefore, the deployment of Public Transport Cards, electronic tickets, cashless payments and data interconnection between modes of transport is a very supportable direction.
A card or one touch to take the bus, metro and other connecting vehicles will help passengers save time, reduce hassle and have a better experience.
In particular, the application of digital data also brings great benefits to management work. When knowing exactly which routes are crowded with passengers and which time slots have high demand, management agencies will adjust the number of trips, frequency and vehicles accordingly.
Public transport will operate according to actual needs instead of mainly relying on estimates, that is a modern management method.
In parallel with digital transformation, the city is also improving connectivity infrastructure around Metro Line 1 stations, adding waiting rooms, canopies, walkways and shuttle bus routes.
A modern metro system will hardly be effective if passengers have to walk hard or take a long time to access the station.
Public transport journeys are only truly attractive when people can walk - get on the bus - transfer to the metro - to work conveniently and safely.
From the free bus ticket policy to the "one-touch" traffic goal, Ho Chi Minh City is creating better opportunities for people to voluntarily change.
Public transport is convenient enough, connected enough and attractive enough, people will choose not because it is free, but because it is the smartest way to travel.
