Lam said he cycled around Nguyen Hue street in district 1. “You’ll find the difference between sitting on a bicycle and sitting on a motorbikes, car or bus. You can cycle and survey the landscape, enjoy the breeze from Sai Gon River."

“Or you can sing while cycling. It’s great. I felt refreshed,” he said.

Lam said the new type of transport shows adaptation to the new circumstances and a new transport alternative.

He said that developing public transport is a top priority because it will ensure the development of the city, help reduce traffic congestion, and make the city a more modern, civilized place.

“There will be metro routes in the city. Today, we have bicycles and I can reveal that we will have one more type of public transport, to be launched before Tet – electric bus. So, you can see that the city is making efforts to step by step implement the plan to develop public transport and restrict private vehicles,” he said.

The city is also considering building a lane reserved only for bicycles to make it safe and convenient. The authorities have decided that in upcoming years, more bicycles and other means of public transport will be used in the central area of the city, while motorbikes and cars will be restricted.

The public bike service helps reduce private vehicle usage. In the long term, bicycles, large-capacity buses and a public transport network will create civilized, affordable means of travel.

The public bike service is managed by modern technologies. The bikes are available in areas with many tourist attractions, and cultural and historical points. When connecting with the metro, waterway bus, open top bus and electric bus, the system will help economic and tourism development.

As many as 500 bikes are provided in 43 locations on sidewalks of some streets in district 1, and near bus stops and shelters, parks and tourism sites to serve short-distance travel. Each station covers an area of 10-15 square meters, with 10-20 bikes in two rows.

Users need to install Mobike app on their smartphones. They can scan to find the nearest public bike station and use the app to scan the code to unlock the bike. 

Tuan Kiet

Saigonese keen to get hands on public bikes

People in Ho Chi Minh City are flocking to try out the city's new public bicycle rental program for free during its first few days of operation.