On the morning of January 22, the Vietnam Road Administration inspected and wished a Happy New Year to bus stations in Hanoi . At Giap Bat bus station, reporting to the inspection team, Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Director of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, said that the peak period of the Lunar New Year holiday takes place from January 20 to February 4.

Passenger travel demand during this period will be evenly distributed, with higher concentrations on January 20-22 and January 24-27. It is expected that the number of passengers passing through the station during peak times will increase by about 250% compared to normal days, with some routes experiencing local congestion.

W-Director 1.jpeg
Director of Vietnam Road Administration Bui Quang Thai visits passengers at Giap Bat Bus Station. Photo: N. Huyen

Specifically, at Giap Bat Bus Station, the number of passengers on peak days is expected to be about 12,000; the number of buses is expected to be 800. The increase in passengers is mainly concentrated on routes to Nam Dinh , Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, etc.

At Gia Lam Bus Station, the highest number of passengers during peak days is about 3,000, 400 buses/day, mainly concentrated on routes to Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang ...

At My Dinh Bus Station, the number of passengers on peak days is about 12,000 with an expected number of more than 800 buses/day. Passengers from My Dinh Station mainly go to the provinces of Hoa Binh, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, etc.

Mr. Hung added that according to statistics in the past 3 days (from January 19 to 21), the total number of buses of the whole company was 5,760 (equal to the same period in 2024), of which Giap Bat Bus Station had 2,189 trips, Gia Lam Bus Station had 1,172 trips and My Dinh Bus Station had 2,399 trips. The number of passengers passing through the bus stations was 43,574 trips, a slight decrease compared to the same period in 2024.

However, compared to normal days, the number of passengers at the above bus stations in the past 3 days has increased but there has been no sudden change. The means of transport on the routes have met the travel needs of the people well. Some routes with high passenger numbers have had their operating schedules adjusted by the bus stations and transport units to promptly put in more vehicles to serve the people.

At Nuoc Ngam Bus Station, reporting to the working group, Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien, the station director, said that during the Lunar New Year and the At Ty Spring Festival, passengers will gather at the bus station to go to the provinces: Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh.

“The number of passengers during this period is likely to increase by 140-150% compared to normal days. It is expected that passengers will gather at the bus station on Friday afternoon (January 24), Saturday (January 25), Sunday afternoon (February 2), and Monday morning (February 3) to travel to the provinces: Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh,” said Mr. Kien.

Notably, the leader of Nuoc Ngam Bus Station added that by January 23, 44 transport units had submitted plans to increase passenger fares for the Lunar New Year 2025. The average increase ranged from 14% (VND 350,000 to VND 400,000/ticket for the 22-bed VIP bus of Bong Sen Cooperative on the Do Luong, Nghe An route), to 61% (from VND 305,000 to VND 490,000/ticket for the 42-bed bus of Phu Thanh Cooperative, Ba Don, Quang Binh).

W-Passenger1.jpeg
Passengers at Nuoc Ngam Bus Station. Photo: N. Huyen

The Department of Roads said that since December 2024, the Department has issued a document directing bus stations and transport units to prepare the highest readiness plan to best serve the needs of the people. In addition, the Department also requires localities and bus stations to manage ticket prices and businesses to sell tickets at the listed prices, avoiding profiteering when people's demand increases. At the same time, the Department also requested the Department of Transport and bus stations to coordinate with functional forces to clear traffic congestion outside the bus stations to help vehicles depart/arrive at the station on time...

After inspecting Giap Bat and Nuoc Ngam bus stations, Mr. Thai assessed that despite the high traffic volume, the two stations were well organized, with no congestion; the waiting areas were clean and orderly. The bus stations had carefully prepared cleaning and food services.