7 years of preparation for 1 day
Arriving at Bach Dang wharf on the morning of August 21, from afar, the yellow paint of the river bus stands out with its European-style design combined with Vietnamese culture. The inside of the boat is fully equipped with modern amenities by the investor. From the sink right at the entrance and exit, to the long bench placed at the end of the boat for passengers who love the river to sit and watch. Between the two rows of aisle seats is a large TV about half the size of the captain’s cockpit and there is also a mini bar to serve passengers. At this time, there are more than 50 “customers” waiting on the shore and everyone is eager to get on the bus to begin their experience and enjoyment on the Saigon River…
The travel time from the first stop to the last stop of the river bus is about 30 minutes, in which the time for the boat to arrive at each stop to pick up and drop off passengers is 3 minutes, the ticket price is 15,000 VND/passenger/trip.In the first phase of the project, there will be 2 routes: Route No. 1 Bach Dang – Linh Dong, 10.8km long, passing through the following wharves: Bach Dang, Saigon Pearl (Binh Thanh District), Binh An, Thao Dien (District 2), Tam Vu, Thanh Da (Binh Thanh District), Binh Trieu, Hiep Binh Chanh, Linh Dong (Thu Duc District). In addition, in route No. 1, according to the direction of the City People’s Committee, the investor will add 3 more wharves: Thu Thiem (District 2), Tan Cang (Binh Thanh District), Truong Tho (Thu Duc District). Route No. 2 (Bach Dang – Lo Gom) is 10.3km long, from Bach Dang wharf along the Saigon River through Ben Nghe canal, Tau Hu canal through districts: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 and vice versa. This route is currently postponed due to the impact of the Ben Nghe tidal dam under construction. River bus route number 2 is expected to open in early 2018.
After the launching procedure, at exactly 8:30, the captain pressed the horn to signal the passengers to board the bus to prepare to leave the dock. Sitting in the bus, looking at the poetic Saigon through the glass window, many passengers shared the same feeling of excitement. Everyone was surprised to enjoy a different perspective of civilized and modern Saigon.
The impressive thing about river buses that road buses do not have is that the stops are also tourist attractions in the city such as: Saigon Pearl Wharf, Binh An Wharf, Thao Dien, Tam Vu Wharf, Thanh Da… creating more opportunities for visitors to visit, have fun and entertain. Route 1 goes through 9 stations, each stop lasts 3 minutes to pick up passengers and these stations are associated with tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ms. Pham Thu Hoa (District 1), who also took the river bus test ride, expressed her excitement: “Riding the river bus is cool and comfortable, without the noise and dust of a road bus, and being able to see the river like this is great. I hope the city will invest in more river bus routes for people to travel more conveniently. My only suggestion is that investors should build roofs on the waiting stations to protect passengers from the sun and rain.”
After a trial run on August 21, the river bus is expected to officially open to welcome passengers next October. Thus, from the time the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee agreed in principle (in 2010) for relevant units to survey and establish a construction project, the project was delayed for nearly 7 years. At that time, for many reasons such as the lack of a suitable investment mechanism, the overall planning of the city’s spatial layout was not suitable for the development of river buses, leading to the initial investment capital of about 58 billion VND increased to 128 billion VND.
River buses must best serve people and tourists
Mr. Nguyen Kim Toan, Director of Thuong Nhat Company Limited (investor) said that with the strategy of developing waterway transportation and tourism, the project to invest in two public passenger transport routes by waterway in Ho Chi Minh City has been implemented through many difficulties. Overcoming all, it has been successful and this bus route aims to serve the travel needs of the city’s people, contributing to relieving traffic congestion on the roads.
According to Mr. Toan, the river bus project is an unprecedented public passenger transport model in Ho Chi Minh City. The cost of river buses and management and operation fees are very high; technical and safety requirements during operation require investment in vehicles and professional training for those serving on the buses…
Present at the ceremony, Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, acknowledged that Ho Chi Minh City, with the advantage of having more than 1,000km of inland waterways, has contributed greatly to economic and social development in recent years. Currently, traffic congestion and environmental pollution in Ho Chi Minh City are increasing, while road passenger transport based on buses and taxis only accounts for 10%. The target is to achieve 20% by 2020. Of which, buses and taxis account for 10 – 17%. The rest is expected to be urban railway line No. 1 and inland waterways. The implementation of the waterway public passenger transport route will contribute to solving the problem of road congestion, contributing to connecting and diversifying inland waterway tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City.
“After implementing the activities, investors must focus on ensuring the best service for the people and tourists. Don’t let them come once and then turn their backs on this type of business, it will be very difficult,” said Mr. Cuong”.
Source: baogiaothong.vn
