Ho Chi Minh City spends 15.7 billion VND to give away free Metro Line 1 tickets for 30 days

Ho Chi Minh City spends about 15.7 billion VND to exempt all Metro Line 1 tickets for free during the first 30 days of commercial operation.

Metro Line 1 will operate commercially from December 22, 2024. Photo: Anh Tu

On the morning of December 11, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council passed a resolution on public transport support policies for Metro Line 1 and connecting bus routes. Metro Line 1 will offer free tickets to all passengers during the first 30 days of operation. The total cost of this free program is estimated at VND15.7 billion. In addition, the city will spend an additional VND17.3 billion to support the free operation of 17 bus routes connecting to Metro Line 1 during the same period. This is to encourage people to use a combination of metro and bus for travel. In addition to the initial free ticket period, Metro Line 1 will apply a completely free ticket policy for priority groups, including people with revolutionary contributions, people with disabilities, the elderly (over 60 years old), and children under 6 years old traveling with adults. It is expected that the cost of ticket support for these policy groups will be about VND10.7 billion per year. Ho Chi Minh City also approved a policy to support funding for businesses, cooperatives and public passenger transport units to offset the difference between ticket sales revenue and operating costs. It is estimated that the city's annual subsidy for public buses will exceed VND1,840 billion, while the subsidy for metro operations is about VND383 billion. Metro Line 1 is expected to be put into commercial operation from December 22, 2024, with ticket prices ranging from VND6,000 to VND20,000 per trip, depending on the distance traveled. In addition, monthly tickets for regular passengers cost VND300,000, while students get a discount of VND150,000. Passengers can also choose unlimited-ride tickets for one day or three days, priced at VND40,000 and VND90,000, respectively. Source: https://laodong.vn/xa-hoi/tphcm-chi-157-ti-dong-mien-phi-ve-metro-so-1-trong-30-ngay-1433527.ldo