Reality in Hanoi shows that, along with expanding the route network, investing in vehicles and improving infrastructure, the passenger experience on buses has changed significantly in recent years.
As someone who has been attached to buses for many years, Mr. Pham Van Tien (Hai Ba Trung ward, Hanoi) said that the current service quality has changed a lot. Mr. Tien cited the period 2010 - 2013, when he regularly took the route from My Dinh Bus Station to the old Son Tay town (now Son Tay ward).
According to Mr. Tien, at that time, morning buses often carried additional goods and vegetables of small traders going to the market. The cabin always smelled strongly of green vegetables, scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers or ripe fruits.
Plastic sacks and baskets were packed tightly under the floor or at the back of the bus. Although service conditions were still limited, buses were still the choice of many people because means of transportation were not as diverse as they are now.
In recent years, the number of bus routes has increased, vehicles are cleaner, and service attitudes have also improved significantly. In particular, when dissatisfied with service quality or the behavior of staff, passengers can immediately report to the management unit or through social networking platforms" - Mr. Tien shared.
Sharing the same opinion, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong (Cau Giay ward) assessed that Hanoi's introduction of more electric bus routes into operation has created motivation for her to use buses more often. Along with that, many stops and bus shelters have also been invested in building new or renovating spaciously.
Representatives of the Traffic Police Department (CSGT) of Hanoi City Police informed that, through inspection work, the main violations of buses are improper parking and not complying with traffic lights. In parallel with patrols and inspections, functional forces have coordinated to review the system of stops, adjust inappropriate locations, and supplement paint lines to create favorable conditions for buses to operate, while limiting congestion and the risk of traffic accidents.
According to representatives of the Traffic Police Department, the unit regularly organizes propaganda and dissemination of new regulations on traffic order and safety; analyzes the causes of accidents, common violations and guides skills in identifying and preventing risks for bus drivers in the process of operating vehicles. The quality of bus services in Hanoi has had many positive changes. However, for people to truly consider this as a means of daily travel, more synchronous solutions are needed.
When vehicles are more convenient, infrastructure is more complete and travel time is shortened, buses can compete with personal vehicles and become a priority choice for people.
