Long-distance bus tickets sold out
On January 19, a survey by Giao thong Newspaper reporters showed that on the Hanoi - Son La and Hanoi - Dien Bien routes, Hai Van bus company was almost fully booked on all trips.
In the following days from January 19 to January 27, the ticket booking website of this bus company also recorded the same thing for most trips.
On the occasion of Tet, from January 19 to January 27, most of the My Dinh - Dien Bien trips of Hai Van bus company were fully booked.
On January 27 alone, there were still a few empty beds on 2 or 3 buses from Hanoi to Son La, while there were no empty seats on the Hanoi to Dien Bien route.
On January 28 (New Year's Eve), there were more empty seats on the two trips to Son La than on previous days.
On the Hanoi - Nghe An route, Van Minh bus company opened early ticket sales for regular customers from mid-December 2024, then opened ticket sales for all passengers a week later during the Lunar New Year holiday. Up to now, most of the sleeper buses on peak days from January 20 to 27 have been fully booked.
On the route from Hanoi to Nam Dinh and Yen Bai, a representative of XE Vietnam bus company said that passengers booked buses in advance during the Lunar New Year holiday from January 24 to January 28, accounting for about 50% of the seats on each trip.
However, for routes from Hanoi to Viet Tri, Phu Tho, there are only a few customers booking in advance, while routes from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, Thai Binh of this bus company are still "quiet" because passengers have the habit of booking close to the date.
On the other hand, short routes such as Hanoi - Viet Tri during long holidays often face fierce competition from private vehicles, shared vehicles, and shuttle vehicles due to their flexible schedules and greater popularity among the public.
Short routes such as Hanoi - Sam Son (Thanh Hoa), Hanoi - Ninh Binh still have few pre-booked passengers. To compete with private cars and shared cars, many bus companies have invested in vehicles and opened ticket booking apps to facilitate passengers.
Regarding the Hanoi - Sam Son (Thanh Hoa) route, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, Director of Thang Thanh Tourism - Transport Trading Company Limited (Thang Thanh bus company) said that the number of customers booking buses in advance for Tet is still sparse.
From January 25 onwards, passenger demand is expected to increase, but mainly from workers returning home to visit relatives and celebrate Tet.
“As a long-standing bus company, the bus company’s passengers are mainly regular customers living in Sam Son City. To facilitate passengers, the company has applied technology to open a ticket booking app, as well as increased the number of call center staff to best support people.
Understanding that during the long Tet holiday, many people need to transport motorbikes and pets to their hometowns for Tet, the bus company also integrates notes for passengers on the ticket booking app or receives information via the hotline. In these cases, when passengers notify in advance, the bus company staff will carefully prepare to ensure the safest and most secure transportation of motorbikes and pets," said Mr. Thang.
According to Mr. Thang, this year's Tet holiday, many transport companies are operating on the Hanoi - Sam Son route, so the supply is high. Therefore, the unit will only operate 5-6 trips as usual, with no plan to increase trips or increase ticket prices to create the most convenience for people to reunite with their families during Tet.
Also on this trip, Hai Hanh bus company said that in recent days, the number of passengers returning to their hometowns has been very sparse and not many customers have called to book a bus in advance.
Besides the increasing number of fixed-route buses on the Hanoi - Sam Son route, a representative of Hai Hanh bus company said that competition with contract buses has also caused the passenger transport market share of bus companies to decrease.
To attract customers, Hai Hanh bus company has actively invested in new vehicles with comfortable and private cabins, while maintaining ticket prices from only 180,000 VND/bed, regardless of holidays.
Meanwhile, Tuan Yen bus company shared that because students had returned home before Tet holiday, the number of passengers on the buses from January 19-23 was still low.
At the end of January 24 (ie the 25th day of the lunar calendar) and from January 25 (ie the 26th day of the lunar calendar), when workers are on Tet holiday, the number of passengers will gradually increase. To ensure the best service for passengers, the bus company has instructed its staff to increase the number of staff on the phone to book tickets, and increase the number of staff to pick up passengers at the station to avoid situations where passengers are solicited, disturbed, or lose their belongings.
Drivers are also disciplined and informed of new traffic regulations in Decree 168/2024 and closely monitored through the journey monitoring system to ensure the safety of passengers on the vehicle.
On the Hanoi - Lao Cai route, G8 Sa Pa Open Tour has just opened a new route from My Dinh bus station to Sa Pa bus station to serve passenger demand.
On the Hanoi - Lao Cai route, a representative of Sao Viet bus company said that up to now, the number of bookings is still sparse for both local and tourist passengers.
According to Mr. Do Van Bang, Director of Sao Viet Car Company, the reason is that in 2024, the economic difficulties have affected people's quality of life and travel needs during holidays and Tet.
However, Mr. Bang said that next week, passenger demand for car bookings is expected to gradually increase. To be ready to serve people during peak times, the unit has a plan to increase trips so that when demand suddenly increases, it can serve promptly.
On the same route Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sa Pa, Mr. Bui Ngoc Minh, Director of G8 Sa Pa Open Tour, said that before Tet, most foreign customers booked many cars because domestic people were still busy with year-end work and preparing for Tet.
The number of passengers booking in advance on the days before Tet has not increased dramatically, however, from the first to the fourth day of Tet, passenger demand for travel increased, and most trips had no more empty beds.
To meet the travel needs of the people and tourists, G8 Sapa Open Tour has opened a new route from My Dinh bus station to Sa Pa bus station, starting today (January 19) in addition to the existing Gia Lam bus station - Sa Pa bus station route.
According to Mr. Minh, it is expected that ticket prices during Tet will remain unchanged, from 420,000 VND/single cabin.
Bus stations are ready to serve passengers during the Lunar New Year peak season.
Bus station ready to welcome passengers during peak season
According to Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday will last 9 days, from January 25, 2025 to February 2, 2025. Passenger travel demand during this time will be evenly distributed, with higher concentrations on January 20-22, 2025 and January 24-27, 2025.
It is expected that the number of passengers passing through the station during peak times will increase by about 250% - 350% compared to normal days. For some routes, there may be local congestion at certain times, and it is necessary to increase reserve vehicles to relieve passengers. The expected number of reserve vehicles for the entire Lunar New Year service period is 2,486 vehicles. In particular, it is absolutely necessary to not allow overloaded vehicles or sell tickets at a higher price than the registered price; ensure that all passengers on the vehicle have tickets before the vehicle leaves the station.
Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company also forecasts that before Tet, the number of passengers will be concentrated mainly on short routes. After Tet holiday, the number of passengers will increase on long routes such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Gia Lai, Buon Ma Thuot... concentrated at Giap Bat bus station.
At Giap Bat bus station, the highest number of passengers during peak days is about 20,000/day, an increase of 350% compared to normal days; the expected number of buses is from 850 - 900/day. The increase in passengers is mainly concentrated on routes to Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa...
At Gia Lam bus station, the highest number of passengers during peak days is about 5,000 passengers/day, an increase of about 250% compared to normal days, the expected number of buses is 400 buses/day, mainly concentrated on routes such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang...
At My Dinh bus station, the number of passengers on peak days is about 22,000/day, an increase of more than 350% compared to normal days, with an expected number of more than 950 buses/day, mainly on the routes: Hoa Binh, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang,...
At Nuoc Ngam bus station, the number of passengers is expected to increase by 140 - 150% compared to normal days. The bus station plans to add 100 buses to the provinces, focusing on routes to Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh.
Comment (0)