Nghe An: Trains and buses sit idle waiting for passengers during the New Year holiday.

Present atNorth Vinh Bus StationOn December 30th, we observed an unprecedentedly desolate and deserted scene, despite the approaching New Year's Day holidays. Only a few ticket booths were lit, the waiting seats at the station were empty, and many sleeper buses lined up in the parking lot, occasionally being cleaned or started to ensure they were still operational...

A long line of vehicles sits waiting at the North Vinh Bus Station because there are no passengers. Photo: QA

Mr. Hung, the owner of a sleeper bus running the Vinh - Hanoi route, sighed: "This time last year, our buses were almost fully booked, with customers constantly calling to reserve seats. However, this year it's very quiet. My bus has 44 seats, but on December 30th, only 10 customers booked tickets for the Hanoi to Vinh route, and only a few for the return trip..."

Mr. Hoang Minh Thanh, the owner of a bus operating the Vinh - Ha Giang route, couldn't hide his sadness: "My bus isn't doing any better. On December 30th, only 2 passengers booked tickets, and from December 31st to January 1st, only 7 passengers booked. Although it's not enough to cover expenses, we still have to run the service to maintain the reputation of the bus company and assure customers that the buses are still operating so that people know to book tickets in the future..."

The waiting area at Vinh North Bus Station was deserted on December 30th. Photo: QA

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tu, Head of Bac Vinh Bus Station, said: "Never before has the bus station been as deserted as this year. Currently, there are more than 100 registered buses operating in the station, however, in reality, only about 20 buses depart each day."

Although this year's New Year's Day holiday lasts 3 days (from January 1st to 3rd), the situation is still not much better, with the number of ticket bookings decreasing by 80% compared to previous years.

Similar to Vinh North Bus Station, Vinh Railway Station also experienced a quiet and deserted atmosphere in the final days of the year. Currently, only two pairs of North-South trains are operating: SE5 - SE6 and SE7 - SE8, passing through Vinh Station. On December 30th, a total of only 65 passengers boarded and alighted from the four trains at Vinh Station, a record low number in recent years.

All sleeper buses were empty during this year's New Year's holiday. Photo: QA

Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Station ChiefVinh Railway Transport StationAccording to the report: "With January 1st, 2022 officially marking the New Year's Day holiday, people wishing to return home would typically concentrate their journeys on the evening of December 31st. However, according to statistics, only 83 passengers booked tickets to Vinh on train SE5 on the afternoon of December 31st, and only 9 passengers departed from Vinh to other regions. For train SE7, only 15 passengers returned to Vinh, and only 16 passengers departed from Vinh to other locations. Therefore, the total number of passengers needing to travel during this year's New Year's Day holiday is only about 200, compared to 1,500-2,000 in previous years..."

Vinh train station is quiet in the last days of the year. Photo: QA

According to representatives from bus and train stations, the main reason for the significant drop in passenger numbers is still the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. People are worried about the disease and therefore have no need to travel or go on vacation as in previous years. In addition, most workers from other regions, especially the southern provinces, returned home by motorbike during the peak of the pandemic. As for the remaining workers, they took advantage of the New Year holiday to stay and work to save money, waiting until the Lunar New Year to return home.

Despite the sharp drop in passenger numbers, strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures are still being implemented at bus and train stations to ensure the safety of the public. Photo: QA

In order to better serve the travel needs of the people, ensure traffic order and safety, and prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic in transportation business activities during the New Year, Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) and Spring Festival 2022, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has established a Steering Committee for passenger transportation services during the New Year, Lunar New Year and Spring Festival 2022.

Accordingly, the units will strengthen coordination to decisively and synchronously implement solutions to ensure order and safety during passenger transportation services. At the same time, they will strictly implement COVID-19 prevention and control measures in passenger transport operations, minimizing the risk of disease spread and improving the effectiveness of controlling people returning from epidemic areas.