While Saigon will have to wait until 2018 for its first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, Hanoi will test the first leg of its BRT system in the coming months, reports Vietnam News.
The $49 million pilot program, financed by the World Bank, is a predecessor to a full-scale system meant to help alleviate the capital’s traffic woes.
The route will be fully functional by 2015 and run “from Kim Ma to Yen Nghia bus station, through Giang Vo, Lang Ha, Le Van Luong, Lang Ha, Le Trong Tan and Ba La,” reports the paper.
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90-passenger buses will depart every 3-5 minutes and will travel 22kph.
A control center will use GPS for tracking vehicles and alter traffic light patterns to give priority to rapid buses.
It looks like the BRT will also make use Hanoi’s new e-tickets which were recently launched on a pilot basis on Hanoi’s Giap Bat-Cau Gie route. The system requires passengers add credit to plastic smart cards which are swiped when getting on a bus, potentially ending the era of paper tickets.
