Hoi An city in the central province of Quang Nam  has begun the second trial of a public bus route connecting An Bang and Cua Dai beaches, the old quarter and Tre Que vegetable gardens before launching the service in 2019.

Tourists take a public bus ride in Hoi An city. (Photo courtery Shinichi Mochizuki)

A public bus system would help reduce air pollution from this flood of vehicles. The city also plans to use more battery-powered cars, bicycles and walking streets for tourists, easing the negative impact of all the exhaust fumes in the Old Quarter of Hoi An. 

Shinichi Mochizuki, EMW (European mobility week and car-free day) national coordinator for Japan, said the trial aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the operation by providing an assessment of the real number of travellers.

“It focuses on passengers’ mobility behaviour. We want to stop at hotels and home-stays along the service route,” Mochizuki said

The European mobility week campaign is based on a car-free campaign. The trial bus route, which operates with eight 16-seat mini buses over 10km, offers 78 trips each day from 8am till 9pm. Each trip will take about 20 minutes and 15 minutes in rush-hours.

Mochizuki said the development of the internal public bus in Hoi An city would help reduce the environmental footprint, enhance the transportation quality for residents and tourists, while promoting Hoi An’s sustainable tourism towards ‘Eco City’Hoi An.

He said it also reduced carbon emission, noise and traffic accidents, offering safe and healthy travel for all people including children, old people, people with disabilities and tourists.

Hoi An city hopes to become the first environmentally friendly city in Vietnam by boosting the use of bicycles and environment-friendly vehicles.

The city has also launched three routes of public battery-powered cars, including 50 six and eight-seat cars to serve tourists.

It’s also the first city in Vietnam to trial the use of solar power public lighting.

Since 2002, Hoi An has earmarked several streets for pedestrians and non-engine vehicles to reduce noise and ensure people’s safety in the Old Quarter. Now, many foreign tourists use bicycles.

In 2015, the city began the first trial of a public van route with funding from the Japan Fund for Global Environment.-VNA