VietNamNet Bridge – Bus drivers in the capital city have been urged to ensure they obey all traffic regulations, after statistics showed that drivers of public buses were getting an increasing number of traffic fines.

Running red lights is a common violation by bus drivers in the capital city.

In the first half of this year, the number of traffic violations by buses was reported

to be double those during the same period last year.

More than 700 violations were recorded during the first six months of the year, according to Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the Ha Noi Urban Traffic Management and Operation Centre.

This figure was double that of the same period last year.

Hai said common traffic violations by bus drivers included running through red lights, speeding, encroaching into other traffic lanes and rampant over-use of the horn.

Hai said bad driving by bus drivers was one of the main reasons for the traffic jams and accidents in the city.

Vu Lan Mai, a resident in the city's Dong Da District, said some bus drivers scared their passengers by the way they drove. Many bus drivers stray into motorbike lanes and brake abruptly, she said.

Last week, a bus on the Bac Co-Ba La route caused an accident in which one person was killed.

Hai said bus regulations on quality of service were also being broken by impolite bus drivers and those who did not stick to their full routes.

Nearly 13,000 bus trips did not complete their journeys and violations were also occurring when drivers allowed their buses to be invaded by street vendors at bus stations.

Bus passengers also face the threat of theft, he said.

Pickpockets

According to Ha Noi Police, nearly 87 cases of theft have been detected during the first six months of the year. However, the real figure is much higher.

Le Thi Chung, who lives on Thai Ha Street, said she never brings her purse onto the bus, after it was stolen once. Chung said no one warned her about the pickpocket, even though some had seen what he was up to.

She said bus assistants were rude to old people like her, telling them to get on and off quickly.

Hai said that to solve these shortcomings, better qualified bus drivers and assistants would be recruited.

The city would equip nearly 200 new buses and set up more than 140 bus stations. Statistics from Transerco showed that more than 10,000 bus trips saw nearly 1.3 million people use the bus service each day, greatly reducing the numbers of motorbikes on the road. Buses meet 15 per cent of transport demand from people in the city.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News