Trains and buses on National Day are 'unprecedentedly' deserted

According to the reporter's records, on the morning of September 1, the number of passengers at bus and train stations in Nghe An was still quite quiet even though it was about to enter the National Day holiday on September 2.

A series of cars were left lying in the parking lot of Bac Vinh Bus Station due to the lack of passengers on the morning of September 1. Photo: QA

InBac Vinh bus station, the waiting area on the morning of September 1st only had about 30 passengers, the ticket sales area was quite deserted, especially, the parking area had dozens of cars lying around because there were not enough passengers to run.

Mr. NTV, the owner of the bus running the Vinh - Hanoi route, said: "Last year during the National Day holiday, we were fully booked since the end of August, and even had to turn away passengers because the bus was too crowded. However, this year, it is completely empty. Today, close to the holiday, only 1/3 of the passengers have registered for tickets. If we run, we will not be able to cover the costs, but if we do not run, we will lose our reputation with customers..."

The buses were empty of passengers during this year's holiday. Photo: QA

That is also the general situation of nearly 100 vehicles operating at Bac Vinh bus station. Most of the bus companies hope that during this holiday, the number of passengers will increase to compensate for the losses of the past 2 months whenCovid-19 epidemicoutbreak again. However, up to now the number of visitors is still not as expected.

According to statistics, during the 2019 National Day holiday, the number of passengers at Bac Vinh bus station was over 5,000, but at present, according to the latest data from bus companies and ticket sales points, only about 1,300 tickets were sold.

InVinh stationin the same situation, although the number of visitors increased compared to normal days, but compared to last year's National Day holiday, the number of visitors decreased by about 60%.

Train cars from Hanoi to Vinh on September 1 still have many empty seats. Photo: QA

According to Vinh Railway Station’s statistics, on September 1, there were 6 trains operating through Vinh City including: SE1, SE2, SE7, SE8, NA1, NA2 with the number of passengers registered for tickets being 739 people. It is expected that by the end of today, there will be about 1,000 passengers. Meanwhile, in previous years, it fluctuated from 2,500 to 4,000 passengers returning home for the holidays.

The reason for the sharp decrease in the number of visitors compared to the National Day holiday in 2019 is due to the impact of the Covid 19 epidemic, which makes people reluctant to travel far. In addition, September 2 this year falls on a Wednesday, so there is only 1 day off, many people are not "keen" on returning to their hometowns. Meanwhile, September 2, 2019 falls on a Monday, many people flock to their hometowns because they have 3 days off, including the previous Saturday and Sunday.

Passengers getting on and off the train all complied with wearing masks. Photo: QA

Despite the decrease in passenger numbers, Covid-19 prevention work at bus stations and train stations is still being carried out fully and seriously. Passengers strictly comply with wearing masks, have their temperature measured, and are disinfected when getting on and off trains.