Nghe An: Struggling to find vehicles after Tet

On the 4th day of Tet, people of Dien Ky commune, Dien Chau wait to catch a bus to Hanoi. Photo: Hai An

Since the 4th day of Tet, passengers have gathered at intersections, gas stations, and restaurants along National Highway 1A through Dien Chau and Quynh Luu districts to catch a bus. At the Cau Bung and Dien Ky intersections in Dien Chau district, Ms. Tran Thi Lien sat waiting for a bus with a pile of belongings and complained: She had waited for more than 2 hours but still could not catch a bus. Every time she saw a bus with a North-South sign approaching, she ran out to catch it, but the bus did not stop because it was full of passengers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh in Nam Thanh, Yen Thanh, who works as a garment worker in the South, added: After Tet, we have to buy bus tickets at expensive prices, almost 3 times higher than usual. Specifically, the ticket price from Yen Thanh to Ho Chi Minh City is 600,000 VND/ticket on normal days, now it is 1.7 - 1.8 million VND/ticket. Knowing that, but still accept it to make it to work on time.

Although ticket prices have more than doubled compared to normal days, however, according to a survey in Yen Thanh district, there are still "sold out" tickets and passenger buses cannot meet the travel needs of customers.

Some people in Hoa Son, Do Luong reported that on normal days, the bus from Yen Thanh to Da Nang costs 200,000 VND/ticket, but on the 4th and 5th of Tet, the ticket costs 400,000 VND. However, after getting on the bus, the bus company arranged cramped sleeping spaces, making passengers very upset.

After Tet, people jostle each other to catch buses to return to their workplaces. (Photo taken in Hop Thanh commune, Yen Thanh). Photo: Hai An

Research from some bus companies shows that after Tet, most of the unofficial buses have increased their ticket prices very high. For example, in the districts of Anh Son, Yen Thanh, Tan Ky, Con Cuong... the normal sleeper bus ticket price to Hanoi is 150,000 VND/ticket, from the second day of Tet it increased to 250,000 VND/ticket. Explaining the price increase, some bus companies said that it was due to the surcharge for the return trip when the bus had almost no passengers.

In addition, instead of having to accept overcrowding and exorbitant ticket prices, many people have chosen the risky solution of riding motorbikes from the countryside to the big city, such as some students riding motorbikes from Nghe An to Hanoi. Most passengers who choose this method have a short distance, usually 400km or less.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung - Head of Transport Management Department (Department of Transport) said: The Department of Transport has established a working group, through direct inspection at Bac Vinh bus station, Eastern bus station and Central bus station, it shows that the stations have posted ticket prices, vehicle numbers and hotlines.

According to regulations, bus companies must declare and set their own fares and then submit them to the competent authority for approval to increase the fares within the permitted level. If bus companies do not declare, they are violating the regulations. During operation, the police and traffic inspectors will inspect and if they discover that bus companies have increased their fares beyond the permitted level, they will be punished according to regulations. After Tet, the transport sector will increase the number of buses by 150 to meet the people's post-Tet transportation needs.

People waiting for buses on Vinh bypass. Photo: Q. A

For the railway industry, on peak days from the 4th, 5th, and 6th of Tet, all sleeper tickets for Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City were sold out, only extra seats were available. The Vinh - Hanoi route had to add 6 more trains, and the Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City route had to add 12 more trains. After Tet, Vinh station sold 5,000 - 6,000 tickets per day, 3 times higher than normal days. Regarding ticket prices, during the peak period before and after Tet, train ticket prices during Tet increased by about 5-10% compared to Tet ticket prices last year.

People buy train tickets after Tet at Vinh station. Photo: Quang An.

Faced with the sudden increase in bus tickets before, during and after Tet, people have requested relevant sectors to strengthen inspection and handle the situation of ticket price increases and overcrowding to ensure the rights of the people.

Believing their fellow countrymen, hundreds of Nghe An people were scammed out of Tet bus tickets in the South.

(Baonghean.vn) - Believing their fellow countrymen, hundreds of people, mostly workers and students from Nghe An, registered 8 Tet buses from the South to Ha Tinh. After collecting more than 1 million VND per person, the fake bus company took the money and fled. This person's name is Tuan Anh, from Ha Tinh.

20% discount on bus tickets for students in the Central region

The Ho Chi Minh City Student Support Center is currently offering a ticket sales program to support disadvantaged students to buy tickets to provinces from Binh Dinh to Thanh Hoa with a 20% discount.