VietNamNet Bridge – The Transport Ministry, Ha Noi People's Committee and other agencies are prepared to take drastic measures to ease the disorder and chaos at the city's most crowded bus station - My Dinh.

The ministry suggested this in a report to the Prime Minister on re-organising and tightening management over coach stations and passenger transport throughout the city.

In line with the plan, inspectors, including police, traffic inspectors and station officers, would work harder to detect and punish drivers breaking parking and pick-up laws. It was suggested that inspectors would meet every morning to deal with problems arising.

Expansion plan

The ministry also asked the station managing company to boost technological monitoring. It also asked the Ha Noi People's Committee to speed up investment procedures to expand the station.

My Dinh Station opened in 2004 in the city's Tu Liem District. At that time, it received about 300 buses daily. However, sharp increases in travelling demands and urbanisation pushed this to about 1,200 buses per day in 2009 and about 1,300 buses per day at present.

The report revealed that poor management and technology application led to improper ways of controlling departures and arrivals. This led to congestion in and around the station, especially during peak time.

The ministry criticised the city for not allocating enough land for the terminal. My Dinh was meant to cover 3.5ha but at present it is operating on a 2ha site.

In an effort to reduce overloading, Ha Noi's Transport Department now plans to transfer more than 350 buses to other stations in the city.

However, Transerco General Director Nguyen Phi Thuong said that Ha Noi's plan was unfeasible. According to Thuong when transport companies are relocated, procedures take a lot of time. They have to re-register their routes, sign contracts with new stations, announce the changes to passengers and print new tickets and invoices.

More capacity

Transport Department Director Khuat Viet Hung recently ordered the capital's Department of Transport to co-operate with the Directorate of Roads and other transport departments to rearrange inter-provincial bus schedules at My Dinh station before December 31.

The station director Nguyen Tien Manh said that it was possible for the station to handle 1,600 buses a day, implying that it was not overloaded.

However, drivers worried because they were given only about 20-30 minutes to collect passengers, so, they had driven around to pick up more.

Major Pham Van Son, head of Police Station 1 in Tu Liem District, said that stricter inspection and punishment was needed to curb these buses.

He said My Dinh Station was in a convenient location and many transport firms operated buses from it.

Source: VNS