Nghe An: Trains and buses 'sold out' during the April 30 - May 1 holiday

According to the reporter's records on April 29, the last working day to enter the holiday, train stations and bus stations in the areaNghe AnThere seemed to be no more space left due to the sudden increase in passengers.

Specifically, at Vinh station, on the evening of April 29, about 3,000 passengers returned to Vinh station, many of whom returned to their hometowns or chose Nghe An as an ideal tourist destination during the holiday. In particular, routes NA1, NA3, NA7... were all 100% sold out. In the outbound direction, departing from Vinh station to other provinces and cities, there were also over 2,000 tickets on the evening of April 29.

The long holiday has led to an increase in people's travel needs. Photo: QA

According to a representative of Vinh Railway Transport Station, the number of passengers increased 5 times compared to normal days (average daily passengers range from 500 - 700 passengers). This holiday is also the time with the highest number of passengers in the past year since the Covid-19 epidemic appeared and affected passenger transport activities.

Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Head of Transport StationVinh railwaysaid: "In response to the record increase in passengers, Vietnam Railways has added many train routes to serve people during the holiday, including NA7, SE35, SE17, SE19, QB1, QB3... from North to South through Vinh City and routes NA4, NA8, SE36, QB2, QB4... from South to North. Most of these train routes were sold out on the evening of April 29, many cars only had a few extra seats left...".

To better serve the travel needs of passengers, Vinh Station has increased its staff to support people in traveling, ensuring safety, speed and convenience. Ticket prices are also publicly listed at the station or on the Vietnam Railways online ticket purchasing page for passengers to choose the train, carriage, seat number and appropriate departure time.

The number of passengers at Vinh station on the first day of the holiday was five times higher than usual. Photo: QA

Not only the station, but also the buses to other provinces were sold out on April 29. Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan, the owner of the bus running the Vinh - Hanoi route, said: "On the morning of April 29, I departed from Vinh to Hanoi to pick up passengers from the North, and on the evening of April 29, all the seats were full due to the large number of people returning to their hometowns. In the opposite direction, passengers who booked tickets to go from Vinh to Hanoi on April 30 were also sold out. We still listed the ticket price at 300,000 VND/ticket and did not increase compared to normal days to ensure the reputation of passengers."

According to statistics fromBac Vinh bus station, the entire station currently manages 180 passenger vehicles of all kinds, of which 80% have been operating again since the beginning of April, most of the vehicles have sold out during the April 30 - May 1 holiday this year, most notably the routes Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Da Nang, Vinh - Hue, Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City with no more vacancies.

Passenger buses at Bac Vinh bus station operate at 100% capacity to serve passengers' travel needs. Photo: QA

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tu - Head of Bac Vinh Bus Station said: "Currently, the epidemic situation is under control, the whole country is entering a phase of safe adaptation to the new situation, so people are no longer afraid to travel far as before. In addition, during this holiday, people have 4 days off, the need to travel and return to their hometowns has also increased significantly. Bus companies are still publicly posting prices so passengers can choose, if the bus company increases the ticket price, they must send a new ticket price declaration to the bus station to grasp the situation. Any bus company that arbitrarily increases the ticket price, passengers can contact the unit to verify and handle it according to regulations".

Not only at train stations and bus stations, other public transport such as buses and intra-provincial taxis also saw a significant increase in the number of passengers during the holiday season. This is considered the most prosperous time for the passenger transport industry after more than a year of being heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.