Over the first year of its operation, a programme, which subsidises ticket fares on 5 new intra-Da Nang bus routes, has helped to encourage local residents to use public transport services rather than their personal vehicles with the aim of easing traffic congestion.

High-quality intra-city buses at a local parking area

Under the city-approved subsidy programme, the fare is only 5,000 VND per passenger per trip.  In addition, a monthly pass for 45,000 VND is now available for prioritised commuters, and 90,000 VND for unprioritised ones.  These beneficiaries are identified in line with the city’s regulation.  Fare exemptions are being offered to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, the disabled, the elderly or the poor, students and pupils in the city, plus workers in local industrial parks.

The programme, the first of its kind in the city, is now under the management of the municipal Traffic Signals Control and Public Transport Centre of the municipal Department of Transport, whilst Ha Noi-based Quang An No1 Joint Stock Company is the programme’s operator.

The programme now operates a large number of high-quality buses, all equipped with air conditioning, and the fares are visually displayed on the buses.  There are designated bus stops along each route.

Over the review period, there were 200,000 bus arrivals, carrying over 1.6 million passengers in total, and a total of over 4 billion VND was generated from ticket sales.

In 30 June, a new Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF)-funded intra-city bus route started operating in Da Nang on a trial basis for 1 year. 

The TMF bus station is located on Bui Duong Lich.  Under the TMF-funded programme, all local residents and visitors are enjoying free fares on the route for 1 year after the date of its official launch.  Passengers are also benefiting from free parking of their personal vehicles at the P&R Bui Duong Lich parking area.

Passengers on board a subsidised intra-city bus

However, the number of customers using the 5 subsidised intra-city bus routes and the TMF-funded is still modest. 

The main reasons are thought to be that the inner-city area has a small radius of only between 5 km and 7 km, thus the travel demands of local residents by bus around the city is too low. 

In addition, the 5 existing bus routes do not pass near such busy areas as local universities, the major coach station, the railway station, and the airport.  The buses are now travelling along only major streets.

Also, there is currently a shortage of public parking areas for bus users’ personal vehicles.

According to Mr Le Van Trung, the Director of the municipal Transport Department, following recent approval by the city’s People’s Council, 6 new intra-city bus routes travelling through some local suburb areas will be launched in the coming time. 

These new routes are the former Han River Port - Hoa Tien Commune; the Inter-provincial Coach Station - the Marble Mountains Tourism area; the Inter-provincial Coach Station - Tho Quang; Kim Lien - the Viet Nam-South Korea Friendship IT Junior College; the former Han River Port - the Hoa Vang District Administration Centre; and the 29 March Park - the Da Nang Hi-tech Park.

With regard to the city’s long-term public transport development plans, in addition to the promotion of the existing subsidised bus routes, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) ones will be developed in the future years to help to relieve traffic congestion in busy urban areas.