Coach buses and regular buses increase routes to serve exam candidates.

(Baonghean) - In the coming days, over 37,000 candidates from across the province will travel to examination centers in Vinh City, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and Cua Lo Town (including 46 out of 60 centralized examination centers in Vinh City) to participate in the national high school graduation exam. At this time, transportation companies have already made plans to serve the travel needs of candidates and their families.

On the afternoon of June 26th, with only three days left until the official start of the national high school graduation exam, Vinh Bus Station was already crowded with students and their families from various districts heading to the city. Under the scorching sun, Duong Thi Long, from Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), carrying all her belongings, said: "There are still a few days until the exam, but I have to come to Vinh early to find accommodation because I don't have any acquaintances here."

Candidates and their families from the districts traveled to the city to take the exam. (Photo taken on the afternoon of June 26th at Vinh Bus Station).

To meet the travel needs of exam candidates and their families during the exam period, Vinh Bus Station has developed a plan in coordination with 23 inter-provincial bus companies to increase the number of reserve buses on peak days. On average, 100 buses operate at the station daily, but on exam days, the station management will deploy an additional 10-15 buses to ensure that passenger travel needs are met. Accordingly, the frequency of bus trips also increases on these days. For some routes that normally have only one trip per day, on peak days, buses will be required to operate two trips per day, such as the routes from Vinh to Tan Ky, Dung, Con Cuong, Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, etc.

Furthermore, ensuring security and order at bus stations during the exam days is also given special attention. Regarding this issue, Mr. Vu Hoang Huynh, Director of Vinh Bus Station Joint Stock Company, said: “The Bus Station Management Board has deployed 100% of its security and order team (18 people) to be on duty 24/7 in and around the bus station gates. They will regularly inspect buses to prevent overcrowding and pickpocketing; check goods to ensure fire safety; and guide passengers and exam candidates. In addition, the bus station will coordinate with the Le Loi Ward Police and the 113 emergency response team for assistance in case of any incidents.”

The Northeast Trading and Construction Company is adding 5 buses to each route to serve the national high school graduation exam days.

Statistics show that Vinh Bus Station handles approximately 4,000 passengers daily, with nearly 1,000 traveling within the province. During peak periods before and after exams, the number of passengers is projected to increase by 50-70%. The Vinh Bus Station Management Board has coordinated with the city's traffic inspection team and traffic police to ensure smooth traffic flow in and around the station, preventing congestion. To control fares, the management board has reviewed and required all vehicle owners to publicly display fares on the sides of their vehicles and provide a hotline number so passengers can promptly report any issues.

In its plan for passenger transportation during the 2015 National High School Graduation Examination, Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company mobilized 750-800 vehicles of guaranteed quality to meet travel needs on both intra-provincial and inter-provincial routes, ensuring that no student would miss the exam due to lack of transportation. During the 2015 National High School Graduation Examination (from June 30th to July 4th), not only in Vinh City but also in districts with examination centers such as Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, and Cua Lo Town, the number of passengers is expected to increase. Therefore, the Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company also requires all the aforementioned bus stations to implement the plan to serve the National High School Graduation Examination, including: balancing the workforce, assigning shifts appropriately, organizing ticket sales, arranging staff to guide passengers in buying tickets and boarding buses, and organizing vehicle operations to ensure efficiency, speed, and timeliness. Regular announcements about vehicle schedules and publicly displaying ticket prices for various routes should be made via loudspeakers to allow people to plan their travel conveniently.

The company instructed bus stations to strengthen inspections of personnel and vehicles in accordance with state regulations; to coordinate with the police and the Transport Inspectorate to inspect and strictly handle vehicles violating passenger transport regulations (such as picking up and dropping off passengers illegally, arbitrarily raising ticket prices to exploit passengers, carrying more passengers than allowed, etc.). In addition, to reduce the number of passengers entering the bus station at the same time, causing chaos and overcrowding, the company instructed bus stations in the four districts and cities with exam clusters to organize ticket sales and dispatch vehicles to pick up passengers at the exam locations at the end of the last day of each exam period.

This year, the National High School Graduation Examination will be conducted in clusters within each province. It is anticipated that buses will be a popular mode of transportation for many families of candidates. Therefore, to accommodate the influx of candidates to the examination sites, the Northeast Trade and Construction Corporation - Nghe An Branch has planned to increase routes to ensure sufficient buses to serve candidates and their families during the upcoming examination days. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Lam, the company's CEO, stated: "Currently, Dong Bac Company operates a total of 5 routes: Vinh City - Do Luong, Vinh City - Hoang Mai Town, Vinh City - Yen Thanh, Vinh City - Thai Hoa Town, and Vinh City - Ha Tinh City, with over 400 trips per day. Starting from June 27th, we will increase the number of buses on each route to 5 and shorten the waiting time to 5-10 minutes per trip. At the same time, we have mobilized our entire workforce, including 90 drivers, 100 bus assistants, and 10 reserve staff, to serve during the upcoming exam period."

The number of passengers from the districts heading to the exam centers will be very high in the coming days. To ensure that candidates arrive at the correct exam locations, the company has instructed its bus attendants to guide passengers to their seats, arrange their luggage, and provide detailed information about the stops. Candidates traveling on the buses are also reminded to protect their belongings to prevent theft on the bus. At bus stops that are likely to be "overcrowded," such as Vinh University and Vinh Bus Station, the company has assigned staff to be present to monitor passenger numbers and traffic conditions on the route in order to adjust, mobilize additional buses, and ensure that the route operates normally with sufficient buses to serve candidates and their families.

Besides the proactive efforts of passenger transport units, according to information from the Provincial Youth Union, starting from June 28th, volunteer youth forces will also simultaneously deploy at bus stations in Vinh City, bus stations in Hung Nguyen and Nghi Loc districts, Cua Lo town, train stations, and some bus stops to support students and their families in traveling during the exam days. The free motorbike taxi service provided by these volunteers will accompany and transport students to exam locations quickly and safely, contributing to a successful exam season.

Dinh Nguyet - Minh Thuy