Planners scratch heads in bus system quest for schoolkids

June 11, 2020 | 08:00

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With the government mulling amending and supplementing traffic laws to set standards for school buses, Vietnam’s major cities are revisiting the idea of setting up public school bus systems to create a safe and reasonably-priced means of transportation for school-goers. However, urban planners have no definitive answers on their hands.

1495p24 planners scratch heads in bus system quest for schoolkids

If a new school bus system were to be implemented in cities like Hanoi, vast investment from outside would be required

Accessing the website of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Centre of Public Transport (MCPT), one can easily find information about the current school bus service, with an available registration form. Tickets cost VND2,800-3,500 (12-15 US cents) per trip, with buses making two to four trips a day.

Ho Chi Minh City’s school bus system has been operating since the 2001-2002 academic year with the purpose of creating a convenient and safe means for students to travel, as well as reducing traffic flows on the roads.

As the first-ever public school bus service at the time, the system was a novelty to city residents. At the time, only six schools registered to participate in the programme, with 250 students using the buses each day.

By 2019, some 106 schools and nearly 30,000 students from 10 out of the 24 districts of Ho Chi Minh City used the buses, with some schools located in the inner city in districts 3 and 5.

However, since the current academic year, this number has changed as all inner city schools opted out of the service. On the other hand, schools in the city outskirts such as District 9 and the districts of Cu Chi, Can Gio, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Nha Be have expressed interest in a new system, according to statistics from the MCPT under Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport.

After nearly two decades of operation, the school bus system in Ho Chi Minh City only partially covers the travel needs of suburban students, without reaching into the inner city.

In contrast, in Hanoi the school bus model has not moved beyond the survey stage, with no specific deployment plans made.

Speaking to VIR, a representative of Hanoi Transport Service Corporation (Transerco) said that in 2017, Hanoi People’s Committee assigned Transerco to draw up plans for a school bus model for the capital. Transerco then collaborated with Hanoi Department of Education and Training to conduct a survey on school bus demand in the 10 inner districts and two suburban districts of Long Bien and Gia Lam.

The more than 300,000 responses collected from elementary to high school students in more than 340 establishments showed that although there is a need for a school shuttle service, it may not be necessary to set up an official public school bus system. Transerco has reported these survey results to the city, but received no further instructions.

“Perhaps due to its low feasibility and that it did not really suit the city’s situation at the time, no specific plans had been made to arrange a school bus system, but the door is still open,” stated the Transerco representative.

As previously reported by VIR, the demand for a school shuttle service in big cities has been increasing, and there have also been a number of unfortunate incidents occurring with the transport services contracted by the schools themselves.

Survey data from some major cities shows that up to 10 per cent of students use school shuttle services and that this figure is expected to increase rapidly in the near future.

“For any school bus plan to be successfully implemented, it is crucial that the government comes up with an official and sufficient mechanism, creating a favourable investment environment for businesses interested in it,” said the director of a Hanoi-based company specialising in tourism and transportation.

“Currently, we have not seen any clear policies or opportunities to invest in this type of transportation,” he added, explaining why private investment is scarce in this field.

With concerns about management of school shuttle services, the Ministry of Education and Training in May has proposed a number of clauses on student transportation to be included in the amendments and supplements to the traffic law.

The proposal focuses on three main groups of issues, the first being the types of transport and regulations to enhance safety, qualifications, and responsibilities of related parties such as service providers, drivers, and student supervisors. The second is specific transport infrastructure and traffic participation rules for school buses, while the third is vehicle standards for school buses.

“Developing safe, friendly, and efficient school bus services is the right and necessary direction to go,” said a representative of the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam.

“For this, first school bus management regulations should be completed, clarifying traffic rules for school buses, followed by the setting of infrastructure standards and traffic organisation, and then standards and regulations for vehicles,” he added.

Nguyen Khac Huynh - Senior student, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology

I use the bus system as my main mode of transport to head for my university. My bus parks right at the front of my school’s main gate in the student village in Thu Duc district.

When I was a freshman at university, buses were the best choice for me to find my way, and they provide shelter when it rains. Additionally, I have an added chance to make friends too. It takes me roughly 30 minutes to get to my university, but often takes more time because of traffic congestion.

Transport by bus is convenient; however, I occasionally dislike it. I have trouble with the times, the unacceptable attitude from drivers and their assistants, bad smells and noise, and even the process of buying tickets.

I hope people would apply innovative technology into all buses in the city. The bus system can use compressed natural gas instead of petrol to save the environment as well. Furthermore, I also wish that the appearance of some buses would become more attractive in the future too.

Cao Thien Trang - 16-year-old Hanoi student, Phan Huy Chu High School

I currently go to school by electric scooter, and it is probably the most efficient means of transportation for me at the moment, as the distance from my house to school is quite long. The only concern for me is sometimes the traffic in Hanoi terrifies me, and I need to stay as cautious as I can.

I used to take the public bus and it is so much cheaper and surely safer for me than participating in the traffic on my own vehicle. But it takes me four times as long to reach school. There is also barely any convenience when travelling by bus, so that is why my parents and I chose the scooter. I am not sure if I want to try the public bus again, however, if there is an innovative project on school buses that can solve problems, I will definitely give it a go.

Doan Tien Thong - 22-year-old student, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology

It is nearly a year since I last used the bus system as my main transport method to university. I am fairly interested in riding on a bus. It is an economical transport for students, and it takes me around almost all the places I want to reach in the city.

But I cannot deny that it involves some drawbacks. The behaviour of the drivers and their assistants is one main thing which makes me feel uncomfortable when getting on a bus. I don’t know why some behave aggressively and impolitely, which gives the system a bad look to customers when they choose to ride on the public bus system.

Nguyen Ninh Tri Nhan - Ho Chi Minh City student, Nguyen Gia Thieu Secondary School

I ride to school these days on my bike. It is not far from my house to the school, usually only five minutes.

My school also has a bus system which will pick up its students, kind of in the form of tuk tuk vehicles that you see in Thailand. Many parents want their children to get on that kind of transport to ensure their children are safe on the way to school. However, the fare is quite high and if I choose it I have to follow the departure time of the bus, so I prefer riding on my own time.

There are a few bus stations near my school, and although the price for students is really cheap, it takes me a while to walk from my house to the bus station and walk from the last station to my school. I don’t think there will be public buses for students in the future. If there is any, I may give a try, but I love riding my bike.

Xuan Thu - 21-year-old student, Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment

Buses were my main means of getting to school during three years of high school and then four years of college. Although regular routes have many buses and can be convenient and flexible, at rush hour they are overcrowded. Many other students and I sometimes have to stand when travelling long distances so we get tired.

I think many students also feel nervous because of pickpockets or other types of violations which can be common on regular bus routes. I wish Hanoi would soon have a separate school bus system for students. These school buses would solve many issues and provide students with a safer and more comfortable way to get to school.

Thai An - 7-year-old student, FPT Schools Hanoi

I have never gone to school by public bus but I would be worried about being late or there being no place to sit. I do not dare to go alone if there are no relatives to accompany me.

I’m currently going to school by private school bus, but if there are bus routes for students only I’d like to experience them. In the movies I watch, I see foreign students who go to school on yellow school buses. I think it would be a great opportunity to make friends.

By Mai Oanh

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