According to the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center, the city's 134 fare-free bus routes served 2,454,178 passenger trips between July 1 and July 9.

On July 9 alone, the network operated 17,702 services, carrying 282,573 passengers, or an average of about 16 passengers per trip.

The center said daily ridership on July 9 increased 0.2% compared with July 8 and 34% compared with the same period last year.

The agency said the figures indicate that the fare-free policy is beginning to achieve its intended goal of encouraging more people to use public transportation.

Public engagement rises alongside ridership

As passenger numbers increased, so did public engagement through digital platforms.

On July 9, the Public Transport Management Center received 52 pieces of feedback through its online channels. Of those, 42 were submitted via the MultiGo application and 10 through the center's official Facebook page, including four compliments recognizing bus drivers and conductors for their service.

The city's 1022 hotline also handled 32 calls that day, most of them seeking information about bus routes and procedures for obtaining free tickets.

Service violations still reported

Despite the increase in ridership, the center also identified several service violations.

Based on surveillance camera footage and reports from passengers, five cases involving drivers or conductors were recorded on July 9.

The violations included buses failing to stop at designated stops on Routes 30 and 591, a driver on Route 6 failing to open the doors for waiting passengers, a Route 154 bus speeding and encroaching into motorcycle lanes, and inappropriate customer service by staff on Route 56.

According to the center, all reported cases have been referred to the relevant transport operators for verification and disciplinary action in accordance with regulations as part of ongoing efforts to improve service quality.

Tuan Kiet