Waterway buses have proved to be successful to tourists but have yet to attract regular commuters after three months due to low capacity.

Bach Dang Waterway Bus Station

The waterway buses project was invested in by the Thuong Nhat Company and went into operation last November. Director of Department of Transport Bui Xuan Cuong said the authorities would continue to open a 10km-long waterway route that connects District 1 and 8 to diversify transport options, reduce congestion and boost waterway tourism.

There are three boats working on route 1 that connects District 1 and Thu Duc District from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm every day. The ticket price is VND15,000 (66 US cents) per person and the waiting time between each bus is around 30 minutes.

The main waterway bus stations such as Bach Dang and Linh Dong are also connected to the city bus station network. The buses are especially crowded on the weekends when the elderly often take grandchildren out on sight-seeing trips.

Tran Tinh from Vinh Phuc Province said the open air and nice scenery made he feel comfortable.

Dang Van Can, a local in District 4, said, "This is safer and less polluted than the road. For example, I'll inhale a huge amount of dust if I want to catch a bus to Binh Quoi."

  Passengers leaving a waterway bus in the morning

However, only a few people living near the waterway buses stations including Linh Dong and Thanh Da use the bus to go to work on daily basis. Le My Thuy from Thu Duc District said she often used the waterway and then called a motorbike taxi to go from the station to workplace. When returning home, she has to catch buses or asks friends for help. The long waiting time to buy tickets, wait for the buses and lack of transport links with bus routes, has put people off using the service.

"It's the fresh air. There is no congestion and the speed is stable. But because of low capacity, I don't think waterway buses can help ease congestion yet. It's great for tourists to sight-seeing the city though."

Thuong Nhat Company said only five out of 11 stations had been put into use and they were still building new boats. Each day, they serve 1,000 passengers and 1,500 on the weekends. They'll deal with the problems in the future to reduce waiting time and make the waterway buses more effective.

According to the HCM City Department of Transport, the operation of the first waterway bus route plays an important role in the expansion plan. The stations also need to have toilets and souvenir shops.

Bui Xuan Cuong, the department's director, said, "We want to promote the waterway bus as a safe, modern and convenient mode of transport. Waterway transportation and tourism will be inseparable."

Congestion in HCM City will be greatly reduced if the local authorities can take advantage of the city’s 110 canals and rivers.

Dtinews/VOV