Strengthening passenger transport safety after Tet

(Baonghean) - After the Tet holiday, tens of thousands of people in Nghe An said goodbye to their homeland and headed north and south to return to their daily lives. The demand for trains and buses increased dramatically, but this year, there was no shortage of tickets, and authorities are also making efforts to ensure the safety of passenger transport activities.

Ensure enough trains and cars for passengers

On the afternoon of February 24, the 6th day of Tet, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's family in Thanh Tung commune, Thanh Chuong district went to Vinh city to catch a bus to the South after returning home for Tet. After stopping at the roundabout of Hung Dao commune to wait for a bus on National Highway 1A, avoiding Vinh city to go to Ho Chi Minh city, Mr. Hung was invited by a bus to get on the bus for 1,850 million VND/adult, 2 children were counted as 1 adult ticket. Feeling that the ticket price was too expensive while not sure if there would be a sleeper as the bus company confirmed, Mr. Hung decided to go to Vinh bus station to buy a ticket. At the check-in counter, Mr. Hung was instructed by the staff to buy a sleeper bus ticket for 1,050 thousand VND. Although the ticket price was much higher than usual, Mr. Hung still happily bought the ticket to make it to the South, because according to him, such a ticket price for Tet is acceptable.

Sharing the same sentiment with Mr. Hung, some passengers from Nghi Loc district felt comfortable when buying tickets for the Vinh - Son La route for 500,000 VND, 150,000 VND higher than usual but still much cheaper than the price that bus companies charge passengers along National Highway 1A. "I work for hire in Son La, they charge 700,000 VND for a bus on the street, but at the station it is 200,000 VND cheaper, so I feel quite comfortable. This year, there are more buses, the ticket prices are also cheaper, no longer have to suffer the pain of waiting on the road", said Mr. Vuong Duc Trong, a passenger.

Passengers buy tickets at Vinh Bus Station on the afternoon of the 6th day of Tet. Photo: NK

At Vinh Bus Station, on the morning of the 2nd day of Tet, bus routes began to open to serve the needs of passengers. On even days such as the 4th and 6th of Tet, the number of passengers flocking to the bus station to buy tickets to the South and the North increased. According to the reporter's records, although bus companies and intra-provincial and inter-provincial routes have publicly posted ticket prices at the bus station, however, some bus companies confirmed that these are only the listed ticket prices on normal days. During Tet, many bus companies have increased ticket prices. For example, on the Vinh - Da Nang route, Tu Tac bus company charges 220,000 VND/person on normal days. During Tet, the Vinh - Da Nang route costs 350,000 VND/person, while the Da Nang - Vinh route remains the same price. Some bus companies also listed Vinh - Hanoi ticket prices from 190 - 250,000 VND, but when asking to buy tickets, they were informed that there were no tickets for the fixed route. The bus company adds contract buses to serve passengers but at higher prices.

Mr. Phan Huu Man, Chairman of Binh Minh Transport Cooperative, said that most of the reputable bus routes had sold out their tickets for Tet in advance. To meet the needs of passengers, some bus companies have applied to increase trips and hire cars for contract runs. “We have completed the procedures to request an increase in ticket prices for the additional trips, the increase is not more than 30% of the listed ticket price and has been approved by the authorities. The reason for the price increase is because these additional buses only have passengers on the outbound trip and no passengers on the return trip. This increase is not too high and most passengers are happy to accept it,” Mr. Man explained.

Mr. Vu Hoang Huynh - Manager of Vinh Bus Station said that in addition to the number of more than 1,000 fixed vehicles, to meet the sudden increase in demand after the Lunar New Year, the bus station has added 40 vehicles on the intra-provincial and inter-provincial routes with service time extending until the 20th of the first lunar month. Normally, the number of vehicles departing each day is over 300, however, during the peak period after Tet, the number of vehicles departing increases by 10-30%. In particular, there are 2 peak periods: from the 2nd to the 5th of the lunar calendar when workers and civil servants go to work and from the 10th to the 12th of the lunar calendar when students enter school. The number of vehicles at the station can meet the travel needs of passengers, because currently, means of transport such as trains and planes have also increased trips. Besides, many people use their own family cars...

At Vinh Station, the online and postal ticket sales service has been effective in reducing the workload at ticket counters during Tet. Many passengers have found and purchased tickets for the Vinh - Saigon and Vinh - Hanoi routes before Tet, so they do not have to worry much about tickets. Mr. Dang Van Thang, from Thanh Long commune, Thanh Chuong district, said that he and his wife took leave until the end of the 15th day of the first lunar month, the 6th day of Tet, to go to Vinh to buy train tickets. After checking information online, he bought 3 air-conditioned soft seat tickets for more than 3.6 million VND. "I booked tickets online and then went to the station to get the tickets, very quickly, without having to wait in long lines like when I bought tickets before Tet. Although the sleeper train tickets are sold out, buying soft seat tickets on this Tet holiday is very good," Mr. Thang confided. Mr. Nguyen Canh Tung in Hung Binh ward (Vinh city) bought a ticket to Hanoi and shared: "Before Tet, I booked a ticket online to go back to my hometown. I just went online to find available seats, ordered, filled in information such as ID number and transferred payment via ATM.

In general, it is very convenient." Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: "The General Department and the station have studied and proposed to increase trips to serve the increased demand during Tet. In addition to increasing 4 SE train routes and 4 Thong Nhat train routes according to the schedule from February 25 to March 8, the station also has 3 more routes: SE11/SE12 and SE15/SE16 and TN21/TN22 (destination Thanh Hoa, Saigon) running from February 22 to March 5. With a total of 42 pairs of trains operating continuously to serve the needs of customers with a number of about 12,000 passengers. This year, the station has added many more pairs of trains to the southern and northern provinces, making ticket booking more convenient. In addition, to ensure train station security, the station has coordinated with local authorities to implement a 24-hour duty regime, strictly handling violations inside and outside the station."

Strengthen control, improve service quality

Tet holidays are also the most stressful days for the Traffic Inspectorate and Traffic Police. The joint plan of the Department of Transport and the Provincial Police ensures traffic order and safety. Before Tet, the Nghe An Department of Transport and the Nghe An Police issued a plan to strengthen the inspection of vehicles, ensuring safety for passengers during Tet. Before, during and after Tet, the Traffic Inspectorate staff is 100% guaranteed. In addition, the Department of Transport has increased one more mobile team to handle urgent violations. Two hotline numbers of the Traffic Inspectorate and the Traffic Police are also made public at bus stations and ticket sales points.

Traffic inspectors (Department of Transport) check vehicles picking up and dropping off passengers in violation of regulations. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Mr. Phan Huy Chuong - Deputy Chief Inspector of Nghe An Department of Transport said that through this phone number, people have provided the authorities with valuable information to promptly handle violations. Typically, on the evening of the second day of Tet, when receiving information from passengers on bus 37B002.. running the Vinh - Hanoi route, charging passengers more than the listed price, the Traffic Inspectorate coordinated with the police to stop the bus, request a refund, apologize to the passengers and make a record of administrative fines. A bus company running the Vinh - Muong Xen route, charging 200,000 VND, nearly double the listed price, was also handled by the authorities on the third day of Tet. Mr. Chuong said that from the second to the sixth day of Tet, the Traffic Inspectorate received many reports from the public and fined 4 bus companies for violations such as overcrowding and increasing ticket prices against regulations.

Colonel Cao Minh Phuong, Head of the Traffic Police Department of Nghe An Province Police, said that before, during and after the Lunar New Year, the department mobilized 661 officers and soldiers to participate in 184 patrols and traffic safety control shifts to ensure that people can enjoy the Spring Festival and celebrate the New Year safely. The traffic police force discovered 83 passenger vehicles violating regulations such as carrying more people than allowed, illegally increasing ticket prices, driving in circles, stopping, parking to pick up and drop off passengers in violation of regulations, speeding, recklessly overtaking to compete for passengers, and transporting flammable and explosive substances. “Although the number of traffic accidents has decreased compared to the previous Tet holiday, the situation is still complicated in general. Therefore, the Traffic Police force will continue to strengthen coordination with the Traffic Inspectorate, patrol, control, and promptly handle violations, especially for passenger cars during the Lunar New Year and the Spring At Mui festivals. People with information about passenger cars violating the law can report to the police force via the hotline 0383.839.222 for resolution,” Colonel Cao Minh Phuong affirmed.

During Tet, bus companies also increased their service to meet the increased travel needs of people. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Lam - CEO of Dong Bac Trading and Construction Company, Nghe An branch, said: We currently have more than 140 buses serving during peak times from December 20 to January 15 of the lunar calendar. In addition to the additional buses, to ensure more trips and vehicle safety, the company has organized registration for extra hours, especially from the 4th and 5th days of Tet. For buses that run extra routes and ensure service quality, the company subsidizes 200% of the salary for drivers and assistants. In addition, to improve the quality of bus routes through responding to questions and feedback on the hotline. Every day, there are about 50 customer feedback calls, from which the buses are checked and handled after arriving at the station. During the Lunar New Year alone, 20 drivers and assistants were disciplined based on complaints from the public via hotlines and inspections on the routes. With these strict and timely measures, service quality has been improved.

Nghe An Province Traffic Safety Committee said that during the 9 days of Lunar New Year, the Traffic Police, Public Order Police, and police of communes and wards also increased patrols and controls to ensure traffic safety. The forces including the Police and Traffic Inspectorate carried out 439 patrols and traffic safety controls with the participation of 1,439 officers and soldiers. During the patrols and controls, 485 cases of traffic safety violations were detected, including 102 passenger cars violating regulations on carrying too many people, drivers drinking alcohol, stopping and parking to pick up passengers in the wrong places... In the coming time, the authorities will continue to increase patrols, controls, and handle violations of traffic safety, especially violations by passenger cars during Tet. In addition, authorities and transport cooperatives also warned people who need to take buses to the North or South to go to Vinh Bus Station to buy tickets, instead of waiting for passengers along the road, which can easily lead to overcharging by bus companies and not guarantee service quality.

Nguyen Khoa - Thanh Quynh