The first bus-rapid-transit (BRT) project in the capital city of Hanoi, which received more than VND1 trillion in funding through official development assistance loans from the World Bank, has failed to fulfill 50% of its designed capacity two years after its debut, news website Nguoi Lao Dong reported.

Passengers are seen waiting for BRT buses at Giang Vo bus stop in Hanoi 

In particular, statistics from a source show that in the year to September, the BRT project had seen nearly 93,000 trips made with more than 3.7 million commuters. That means it served an average of 40 passengers per trip, while the standard capacity is 90 passengers per trip.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, who has years of experience researching urban traffic issues, said the BRT project will likely incur continual losses if it maintains the current pace of operation. An efficient BRT project should serve some 30,000-40,000 commuters per day, with a BRT bus departing every three to five minutes.

Thuy added that individuals or relevant agencies that have created losses for the project should bear all responsibility. It is unacceptable for the State budget, tapping into ODA loans, to go amiss while local people’s benefits are not guaranteed, he stressed.

Sharing the same viewpoint as Thuy, Le Nhu Tien, a former National Assembly deputy, said the BRT project in Hanoi was unfeasible. Projects consuming a large amount of capital but lacking efficiency should be discontinued, he remarked, adding that the individuals concerned should take responsibility for any violations.

In addition, the Government Inspectorate has announced its conclusions following an inspection of the BRT project’s execution, pointing out many violations that caused losses of billions of Vietnam dong.

The municipal People’s Committee earlier assigned three delegations to visit Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Indonesia in 2004, 2009 and 2014 to conduct research on the BRT model before introducing the project to Hanoi, according to the Government Inspectorate.

One team did not make a report after their visit, while the other two made irrelevant reports. The teams also failed to provide materials contributing to the project’s investment, design and financial calculation.

Apart from that, the city had designated specific lanes for BRT buses, but their speeds failed to meet standards and often caused traffic congestion during peak hours.

Responsibility for the project’s violations was reportedly attributed to the municipal People’s Committee, the Department of Transport, the project management board and the design consultant.

SGT