VietNamNet Bridge – Burgeoning transportation needs have seen a surge in the establishment of illegal bus stations on many HCM City streets of late, worsening an already bad traffic congestion and urban pollution problem.

A bus adds to the traffic chaos on Hung Vuong Street in HCM City. Officials are clamping down on temporary bus stations blamed for exacerbating HCM City's chronic traffic congestion. (Photo: VNS)

According to the municipal People's Committee, the city has three official inter-provincial coach stations, namely Mien Dong, Mien Tay and Nga Tu Ga.

However, many streets, particularly in the city centre, have been converted into de facto bus stations.

Along Le Hong Phong Street, which runs from District 5 to District 10, many major transport enterprises including Thanh Buoi, Phuong Trang and Hoang Anh have set up their own stations.

The operational scale of the Thanh Buoi Station, for instance, runs from Tran Phu crossroads to Hung Vuong Street. Everyday, the road section receives dozens of 45-seater buses that load and unload passengers and commodities around the clock like a real bus terminal.

The presence of several illegal bus stations has made Le Hong Phong Street suffer chronic traffic congestion, and the environment is messed up badly by the large number of passengers crowding it.

Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1, known as the backpacker street where foreigners gather, has also been converted into a bus terminal.

Many travel companies have opted to open transactions offices on the street, and ended up using it as a bus station to receive tourists. The street is now home to several inter-provincial coach stations, with Phuong Trang Company using it as a terminal for buses running from the city to Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Lat and Mui Ne.

Meanwhile, Hoa Mai, Minh Thang and Thien Phu transport companies are turning Le Thi Hong Gam and Nguyen Thai Binh streets in District 1 into illegal bus terminals. Because most streets occupied thus by transport companies are not so large, the large volumes of vehicles they have to bear now are causing very tough traffic congestion problems, and heavily polluting the environment, according to an official of the District 5 People's Committee.

"We have already carried out inspections on transport companies'use of the roads for parking buses in the hope of restoring some order, but we have not been effective since we do not have the resources to do it," he said.

Meanwhile, the municipal Transport Department has said that it is working on a plan to work in co-operation with concerned district administrations to restore order to the affected streets. They are determined to close the illegal bus stations, department officials have said.

Department officials said travel companies would be required to arrange their activities in ways that did not disrupt traffic.

Companies offering inter-provincial passenger transportation services would be asked to move to the city's existing terminals so as to make it easier for concerned agencies to manage them.

This would also ensure that the streets are no longer clogged by dozens of buses waiting to pick up or drop off passengers, the officials said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News