The city's People's Committee has proposed allocating an additional 665 billion VND (about 26 million USD) to cover 100% of bus fares during the six-month period.
Of the total, around 454 billion VND would subsidise 109 existing subsidised routes, while 211 billion VND would support 26 non-subsidised routes.
The policy will be implemented in two phases. From July to September, passengers will travel free of charge without identity verification under a fixed revenue support mechanism designed to maximise convenience and encourage greater use of public transport.
From October to December, free travel will continue, but passengers will be required to verify their identity by scanning a card or QR code through the electronic ticketing system installed on buses. Subsidies will be calculated based on actual passenger numbers.
Ho Chi Minh City currently operates 180 bus routes, including 158 intra-city services and 22 inter-provincial routes linking neighbouring localities such as Tay Ninh, Dong Thap and Dong Nai.
The free fare policy will not apply to inter-provincial bus routes, open-top sightseeing buses or airport shuttle services connecting urban centres and tourist destinations.
Bus fares on subsidised routes currently range from 5,000 VND to 7,000 VND per trip, while students pay 3,000 VND.
The city said public bus usage remains well below expectations, accounting for only about 1.6% of total travel demand in 2025, compared with the target of 7.23%. Previous fare exemption programmes led to temporary increases in ridership, but passenger numbers declined once the incentives ended.
According to the municipal People's Committee, the proposed policy represents a people-centred social welfare initiative aimed at improving public services, supporting social security and encouraging residents to shift from private vehicles to public transport, thereby contributing to a greener and more sustainable urban transport system./.
