HCMC to ban sleeper buses from downtown areas starting mid-December

The move, intended to get rid of unlicensed bus rides and stations and relieve traffic congestion, was mentioned in a draft regarding traffic organization for sleeper buses, sent from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport to the municipal People’s Committee.

Sleeper buses will be banned in the area surrounded by the National Highway 1, Nguyen Van Linh, Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Thi Dinh, Dong Van Cong, Mai Chi Tho, and Hanoi Highway. However, they can still run on these streets, which lie at the city’s eastern and western borders.

Sleeper buses can enter the Eastern Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, where passengers leave for HCMC’s eastern neighbors and central provinces. They can enter the Western Bus Station which provides transport services to Mekong Delta localities.

There are around 58 transport businesses with around 1,600 vehicles running on these routes. HCMC also has over 1,350 transport units with 91,000 buses that serve private travel purposes.

City authorities have reported several cases of unlicensed bus rides and stations in downtown areas over many years, in districts such as District 5, District 1 and District 4.