Danang launches five new inner city bus routes

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A fleet of 61 new buses have been pressed into service on five new inner city routes in Danang. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Le Van Trung, director of the central city’s Department of Transport, said 61 new 40-seat busses have been introduced on the new routes. They will run every 20 minutes between 5am until 9pm, he added.

Tickets cost VND5,000 (US$0.2) per trip, or VND90,000 ($4) for a monthly package. People with disabilities, students, workers in industrial zones as well as underprivileged sections will get a 50 per cent discount.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee, said the new bus routes are part of the city’s 2016-20 public transportation development that aims to reduce the use of personal cars and motorbikes.

Through December, the city is offering free tickets to all commuters.

In 2018, the city plans to introduce three of their first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and a BRT route connecting the Danang International Airport with favourite destinations in Hoi An City in neighbouring Quang Nam Province.

The city’s population of 900,000 has far outgrown the current public bus system, which has just 48 buses travelling on five routes, meeting just 10 per cent of demand.

The city’s Transport Department estimates that residents make 2.1 million journeys each day, 80 per cent of them on motorbikes.