The minibuses will run 14-19.5km on narrow streets to improve last-mile connectivity to public transport.

They include between Ap 5 Phong Phu Residential Area in Binh Chanh District and District 7, T30 Residential Area in Binh Chanh and the University of Finance and Marketing in District 7 and the Binh An Waterbus Station and Lien Phuong Street in Thu Duc City and Sai Gon Bus Station in District 1.

The high-quality services, 11-22km long, will be along the Vo Van Kiet - Mai Chi Tho Highway corridor.

Three of the four inter-provincial routes will be between the Tan Phu Bus Station and Tay Ninh, Tien Giang and Dong Nai provinces.

The other will run from the An Suong Bus Station to Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai Province.

These routes are not subsidised.

According to the city Department of Transport, the aim is to make public transportation meet 15 per cent of public travel demand by 2025 and 25 per cent by 2030.

As many as 50-60 new routes would be started by 2025, increasing to around 75 by 2030, and the number of buses would double in the next 10 years, it said.

The city now has 128 routes, including 91 subsidised ones, and nearly 2,100 buses.

Every year it provides subsidies of around VND1 trillion ($43 million) to bus companies. 

Source: Vietnam News