Hard to catch a bus
On the evening of December 15, in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, we met Mr. Ha Van Hung, Tri Le commune, standing on the sidewalk waiting for the shuttle bus to pick him up and take him to Hanoi for work. Although the bus did not depart until 8:00 p.m., he was afraid of missing the bus so he arrived 2 hours early, having dinner while looking out onto the street to “wait for the bus”.
Mr. Hung confided: In recent years, double-decker sleeper buses have not been allowed to go to Que Phong district, so we had to take a bus from home to Kim Son town, wait for the bus company's shuttle bus (seats), then move down to Chau Binh commune, Quy Chau district, where there was a sleeper bus waiting, and start the trip.
“If the sleeper bus could go to Kim Son town, we, the people of Que Phong, would not have to travel many stages, and we would have more time and work. Just from Tri Le commune to the town is nearly 40km, I took a motorbike taxi and it cost 200,000 VND. Not to mention the same thing when going back to my hometown, the bus only stopped at Chau Binh commune, we had to take another shuttle bus to Kim Son town and then take a motorbike taxi or taxi home, which costs a lot of money and many stages,” Mr. Hung said sadly.
Not only the people of Que Phong district but also the people of Quy Chau district face similar difficulties. Because the double-decker sleeper bus is only allowed to go to Chau Binh commune - the first commune of Quy Chau district on National Highway 48, therefore, people from other localities such as Chau Thang, Chau Tien, Chau Hoan, Tan Lac town... to get here are also dozens of kilometers away, many people choose to take the bus company's shuttle bus, the rest have to ask relatives to take their motorbikes to Chau Binh commune.
According to the reporter's observation, people in Quy Chau and Que Phong districts who need to catch a sleeper bus mostly go to Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Hanoi... to do business. Catching a bus is difficult, takes more time and costs money, not to mention the cold weather at the end of the year with a lot of luggage and goods, while these are workers with low income.
People are struggling like that, and passenger transport units are not doing any better. A representative of Kha Son sleeper bus company, which specializes in routes to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, said: After the authorities banned double-decker sleeper buses from going to Tan Lac town (Quy Chau) and Kim Son town (Que Phong), the bus company was forced to park at a temporary station in Chau Binh commune. To serve customers, we had to invest in more shuttle buses to transport passengers from Que Phong and Quy Chau districts, increasing costs and causing many operational problems. The number of passengers decreased due to having to travel many stages, especially those with poor health or motion sickness...
The ban on sleeper buses is also a concern for the authorities of Quy Chau and Que Phong districts, because it directly affects the socio-economic development as well as tourism of these localities.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Hung - Head of the Economic Infrastructure Department of Quy Chau district said: The authorities have banned sleeper buses from going to Tan Lac town and Que Phong district for many years now, people have to travel by shuttle bus many times which is very difficult. Especially when people are sick, ill, or have urgent matters, this travel is very inconvenient.
Mr. Duong Hoang Vu - Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee added: In fact, the ban on double-decker sleeper buses operating in the district not only affects the traffic and travel of the people, but also affects the economic and tourism development in the district. Many groups of tourists from distant provinces and cities who want to visit and explore Que Phong district also have to travel many stages, which is very inconvenient and "loses points". The district has also sent many documents to request all levels and sectors from the Central to the province to remove this obstacle, support the upgrading of roads to meet the conditions for sleeper buses to operate and pick up passengers, which will help the local socio-economy to have a new step forward, the border life will be more vibrant, leading to the development of services and trade.
Waiting for funding to upgrade the road
The Department of Transport Management, Department of Transport said that double-decker sleeper buses are not allowed to operate in Que Phong and Quy Chau districts (from Chau Binh commune and above) as stipulated in Point B, Clause 3, Article 11, Decree 10/2020/ND-CP dated January 17, 2020 of the Government regulating business and business conditions for automobile transportation. This point clearly states: "Do not use double-decker sleeper buses to operate on grade V and grade VI mountainous roads".
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vinh - Deputy Head of Transport Management Department, Department of Transport said: To allow double-decker sleeper buses to operate on the route from Chau Binh commune to Que Phong district, the only option is to invest and upgrade the road level, in accordance with Decree No. 10/2020 of the Government. However, currently, the funding source for road upgrades is still limited and cannot be implemented.
In fact, in recent years, Nghe An province, Quy Chau and Que Phong districts have also sent documents and recommendations to the Ministry of Transport and the General Department of Roads on this issue. However, the implementation of road upgrades still faces many difficulties.
In response to many opinions from the people, in Official Dispatch No. 1733/BGTVT-KHDT dated February 24, 2022 of the Ministry of Transport sent to the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, it clearly stated: According to the provisions of Decree 10/2020/ND-CP dated January 17, 2020 of the Government regulating business and conditions for business of automobile transportation, "Do not use double-decker sleeper buses to operate on level V and level VI mountainous roads." Due to the current status of the road not meeting the standards, there are not enough conditions for sleeper buses to operate.
Regarding the need for investment in transport infrastructure in Nghe An province, in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021 - 2025, due to difficulties in balancing resources, it is not possible to balance capital sources to invest in upgrading and expanding National Highway 16 and National Highway 48 through Nghe An province.
More than ever, the authorities and people of Que Phong and Quy Chau districts are looking forward to the road being upgraded so that sleeper buses can operate smoothly to serve the travel needs of the people as well as develop the economy in mountainous areas that are still facing difficulties.
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