As of August 12, the city’s bus network had served nearly 12 million passenger trips, up about 44% year on year. On August 12 alone, around 306,000 passengers used free buses, an increase of roughly 55%, despite students having yet to officially return to school.

Le Hoan, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Centre, said the free-fare policy had provided an added incentive for people to choose buses for their daily travel.

Since August 4, the city has also issued free public transport cards covering buses and the metro to people aged over 60, children under six, people with disabilities and those who have made contributions to the revolution, among other eligible groups.

However, the centre stressed that free fares could only attract passengers initially, while service quality would determine whether they continued using buses. It has therefore stepped up monitoring and enforcement alongside recognising drivers and attendants who provide good service.

So far, the centre has recorded 259 complaints or suspected violations, including 107 cases in which buses failed to stop to pick up or drop off passengers at designated stops, accounting for about 41%. Other violations involved poor service attitudes, improper boarding and alighting, route deviations and drivers using mobile phones while driving. The centre has issued 78 penalty decisions.

Complaints are received through the monitoring system, inspection teams, the 1022 hotline, its fan page, the MultiGo app and other channels. Each case is verified using onboard and bus-stop cameras, journey-monitoring data, field inspections and explanations from transport operators before any conclusion is reached.

Hoan said the centre was also preparing for the peak period when students return to school. At least 30 officials will be deployed on buses each day to monitor service quality and assist passengers.

The centre will continue to step up inspections while requiring transport operators to regularly train drivers and attendants in safety, communication and professional conduct. A unified code of conduct is also being developed for the entire bus network.

The measures are expected to improve service quality and safety while helping the city move towards a more modern, integrated public transport system./.