On July 2nd, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center said that on July 1st, all 134 bus routes under the support program carried out 17,748 trips, transporting 273,944 passengers, averaging about 15.4 passengers per trip.
Compared to June 30, passenger volume increased by about 14%. Compared to June 24, 2026, the number of passengers increased by about 26%; and compared to the same period on July 1, 2025, the increase reached about 28%. This is considered a positive sign after the city implemented a widespread bus ticket exemption policy.
On the first day of application, travel activities at bus stations and main terminals took place stably. There has been no record of a sudden increase in passengers causing overload or having to mobilize additional vehicles to serve.
In addition to monitoring transport activities, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center also strengthens the reception of people's feedback to promptly handle arising problems.
Through switchboard 1022, the unit recorded 42 calls, including 8 questions about the free bus policy. The remaining calls mainly related to route information, routes and service instructions.
On the MultiGo application, the Center received 13 feedbacks from people, including 7 compliments on service quality, 2 feedbacks on stops, 3 feedbacks related to card scanning operations and 1 feedback on the service attitude of staff. In addition, the unit also promptly received and handled a passenger's complaint about a bus abandoning the station.
By the end of July 1st, the entire bus network was still operating smoothly, without congestion.
According to the Center's assessment, because it is the first day of implementation, some drivers and service staff are still confused in guiding passengers to implement the free ticket authentication process.
To overcome this, transport units are required to strengthen the broadcasting of notifications on the car's loudspeaker system, guide people to use the MultiGo application, citizen identification cards, QR codes, e-wallets or identified bank cards for authentication when necessary, and provide direct support to those facing difficulties.
The bus ticket exemption policy in Ho Chi Minh City is implemented in two phases.
In the period from July 1 to the end of September 2026, all passengers traveling on 134 bus routes are completely free of charge and are not required to carry out authentication or identification.
During this time, the city continues to improve the database, technology infrastructure and electronic ticketing system to serve management work. Although not mandatory, passengers are still encouraged to scan cards and perform identification to participate in preferential programs in the near future.
From October 1st to the end of 2026, passengers traveling on 134 bus routes will continue to be exempt from fares. However, the exemption will be associated with information recording and verification activities through methods such as citizen identification cards, VNeID applications, bank cards, e-wallets or MultiGo applications.
