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Vietnam Eyes Rapid Buses as Tech Shakes Up World's Public Transit

VOA News

   Ho Chi Minh City is building a bus rapid transit system, in hopes of
   weaning Vietnam's public away from their increasingly complex menu of
   transport choices.

   Residents can hail cabs, motorbike taxis, or the Uber of Southeast
   Asia, Grab. Some can afford cars, and the occasional tourist hires a
   cyclo pedicab. Grab used to offer a carpool service, and another
   business, GoDee, lets customers book a cheap spot in a shared van at
   regular intervals.

   The government wants people to use more public transportation, but
   Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City subway construction has been repeatedly
   delayed, and conventional buses are slow and unpredictable, which has
   led to the initiation of the new effort.

   Under the new system, Ho Chi Minh City would create dedicated lanes for
   electric buses, partly by renovating current roads and partly by adding
   lanes elsewhere. The buses are expected to save commuters time by
   bypassing traffic cars and running more frequently than conventional
   buses. Officials, who did not give a date for the system's debut, said
   the new system would reduce traffic and pollution. They hope the new
   system will attract new riders, such as office workers, in addition to
   the students and blue-collar workers who now use mass transit.

   Some observers are not sure the city can afford the $137 million price
   tag, but the system is supposed to speed transport by dedicating parts
   of city streets to public buses.

   "The project will demonstrate considerable economic, environmental and
   social benefits, and guide urban development toward more sustainable
   patterns in Ho Chi Minh City," Ivo Sieber, Switzerland's
   ambassador-designate to Vietnam, said. His government is funding part
   of a grant for the transit system.

   Tech and transit

   This move is just the latest example of city planners around the world
   trying to improve public transportation attracting more passengers to
   cut traffic and pollution while staying within a budget. Nearby
   Shanghai and Singapore have tried out "on-demand buses," an arrangement
   under which riders book through a phone app and then a route is
   calculated to pick up as many people as possible most efficiently.

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