On December 12, a representative of the new Eastern Bus Station (Thu Duc City) said that the shuttle buses have a maximum capacity of 29 seats and are painted with the banner "Transferring passengers to and from the new Eastern Bus Station".
The vehicles will operate all week, including holidays and Tet, from 0:00 to 24:00.
Transportation costs will be integrated into the ticket price. Pick-up and drop-off are organized via a mobile app, allowing passengers to register their information, track their route, and update flexible stops such as bus stations, shopping malls, hospitals, or according to individual requests.
Initially, the service will be applied in central districts such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Go Vap and Thu Duc City. Based on actual needs, the scope of operation can be expanded.
Currently, there are about 52 shuttle buses serving passengers at the new Eastern Bus Station every day. Besides this service, passengers can still choose other means of transport such as buses, traditional taxis, technology taxis, and motorbikes.
The current number of passengers arriving at the new Eastern Bus Station ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 people per day. To avoid waste and reduce traffic pressure, the new Eastern Bus Station said it will calculate the appropriate number of shuttle buses.
The estimated cost for each transfer is 30,000 VND, including management, vehicle rental and SMS notification service.
Shuttle bus service is not a new idea. Previously, Phuong Trang bus company deployed shuttle bus service at the new Eastern Bus Station, receiving many positive feedbacks from customers thanks to its convenience and reasonable fee.
According to the representative of the new Eastern Bus Station, the price of 30,000 VND for each pick-up/drop-off at home is a reasonable choice, meeting the travel needs of passengers.
However, to truly attract people, the new Eastern Bus Station believes that Ho Chi Minh City needs to synchronously implement solutions such as completely banning sleeper buses from entering the inner city and thoroughly handling the situation of "illegal buses and stations".
At the same time, adjusting the bus route reasonably in the direction of clearly dividing the routes between the new Eastern Bus Station (serving customers from the North and Central regions) and the Western Bus Station (serving customers from the West) will contribute to improving operational efficiency.
With an investment of about 740 billion VND in phase 1, the new Eastern Bus Station is the largest bus station in the country, with a capacity to serve more than 7 million passengers per year.
However, since its opening in October 2020, this bus station has always been deserted, mainly due to its remote location and lack of effective connections.
Despite the deployment of many bus routes, the number of passengers arriving at the station has not met expectations. The addition of a 24/7 shuttle service is expected to partly solve the problem of attracting passengers to the new Eastern Bus Station.
