ANTD.VN – The number of interprovincial fixed passenger cars entering bus stations and the number of passengers passing through bus stations in Hanoi has decreased sharply in the past few years. In particular, at large bus stations like Gia Lam, the number of passengers decreased by up to 72%.
The bus station is gradually empty of passengers due to disguised contract vehicles?
Information at the seminar “Why haven’t passengers returned to the bus station” organized by Traffic newspaper on April 24, Mr. Tran Hoang, Deputy Director of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, informed that since the pandemic Until now due to Covid-19, fixed-route interprovincial buses and the number of passengers arriving at bus stations managed and operated by the Company have decreased sharply.
Specifically, in 2023, at the bus stations of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company (Giap Bat, My Dinh, Gia Lam) there will be a decrease of 300,000 trips/3 stations, accounting for 28%. Among them, depending on each wharf, My Dinh wharf has a reduction of over 30%; Giap Bat bus station reduced by 25% while Gia Lam bus station reduced by nearly 50%.
Regarding passengers, the impact is more serious, the number decreased across the company by 52%, of which Ben Gia Lam decreased by nearly 70%. Along with that are the problems of decline in revenue and profits of businesses. This is a very worrying number.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Lap, Director of Nuoc Ngam bus station, before the Covid-19 epidemic, the bus station normally received about 600-700 buses, especially on holidays, it was over 900, but now there are only 250-300 buses/day. . In March-April alone, there were over 400 vehicles per day, a decrease rate of nearly 50%.
| The number of vehicles and passengers passing through bus stations in Hanoi decreased sharply |
Regarding the cause of the sharp decline in the number of passengers entering bus stations, Mr. Nguyen Cong Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said that Decree 10/2020 on transport business and conditions has stipulated Clearly state the conditions for different types of transport business.
The Ministry of Public Security has also issued Circular 58 stipulating that transport business vehicles must have their own license plate color.
According to Mr. Hung, the number of contract vehicles has increased compared to fixed-route vehicles by up to tens of thousands, not to mention the emergence of hybrid vehicles and transfer vehicles that are also competing unfairly with fixed-route vehicles. These vehicles do not even change the license plate color according to regulations. These types of transport operate at the same time, causing conflicts with each other.
Meanwhile, people’s demand is increasing, contract vehicle management conditions are lax when there is no registration required, no route registration, drivers are not controlled, representative offices are springing up everywhere like a miniature bus station.
Currently, many disguised contract car businesses organize passenger pick-ups, sell tickets, and set up pick-up/drop-off offices, causing chaos and unmanageability.
“I agree that it is necessary to focus on what people love and like to use, but transportation is a type of business with conditions, so it is necessary to manage the above types of vehicles, and at the same time ensure solutions to protect the rights and harmonize the interests of businesses and people,” Mr. Hung proposed.
| My Dinh bus station has just introduced a passenger waiting room with high standards to serve people |
Intercity buses and bus stations also need to change
Discussing this issue, Mr. Lap said that, before the Covid-19 epidemic, transport businesses did not leave their ports. But after the pandemic, customers no longer entered the bus station, while the number of vehicles under disguised contracts increased. Thus, it can be said that the deserted bus station is due to a sharp increase in disguised transport activities. This type of car comes to your home to pick up guests, bringing convenience. If a fixed route transport business can pick up passengers at their door, it will be very good.
In fact, most disguised contract vehicle businesses today are separated from fixed route businesses. This is because the management of disguised vehicles is not yet complete, so this group is able to attract customers from the bus station.
Pointing out difficulties in inspection and handling, Mr. Cao Van Hiep, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Hanoi Department of Transport, said that in order to prove the violations of disguised contract vehicles, also known as limousines, “circumvention of the law” operates. Illegal activities are not easy and take a lot of time.
| The proliferation of contract Limousine vehicles has caused the number of passengers of inter-provincial fixed vehicles to seriously decline |
There are currently many regulations that contract vehicles must have a trip monitoring device installed, and must send the contract before making the trip to the authorities for monitoring.
“We are implementing these regulations, but some businesses find many ways to avoid them… To determine violations, direct inspections must be conducted at businesses and representative offices to identify violations. violation,” Mr. Hiep said.
Looking at another angle, Ms. Phan Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Road Department, said that transport businesses are not interested in entering the station, not because they do not want to enter, but because the bus station has many problems. The package does not meet the requirements of businesses as well as passengers.
“Speaking of transportation, we only look at one angle of bus stations and businesses, but from the perspective of state management, we see transportation organization as an overall problem of urban development” – Ms. Hien stated her opinion. point.
Sharing this opinion, Mr. Nguyen Tuyen, Head of Transport Management Department, Hanoi Department of Transport also said that we also need to find ways to make inter-provincial transport more attractive. Fixed route vehicles have such superiority, we need to clarify why they are competing with disguised contract vehicles? Fixed route units must rethink themselves because customers have the right to choose.
“We have met with bus station units and transport businesses to discuss attracting passengers back to the station and attracting new customers. Many transport units today do not promote their images and customers will not can know.
We are also researching an app for buses to transfer to bus stations so that in the future we can perform management work and increase efficiency,” Mr. Tuyen informed.
According to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Transport, the network of fixed inter-provincial passenger transport routes connecting Hanoi to 41 provinces with 897 transport routes, 502 transport units, 3,303 vehicles, 3,556 trips/trip. day. Among them, there are 52 transport units in Hanoi with 730 vehicles from 6 bus stations: Giap Bat, Gia Lam, My Dinh, Yen Nghia and Son Tay and Nuoc Ngam.
