In an effort to ameliorate Saigon’s chronic congestion issues, city officials are debuting the metropolis’ first-ever river bus route soon.
According to Tuoi Tre, starting this August, Saigoneers will be able to travel from District 1 to Thu Duc District by boat. Specifically, river buses will take passengers on a 21-minute, 10.8-kilometer-long voyage along the Saigon River and Thanh Da Canal from Bach Dang Port in the city center to Linh Dong Ward in Thu Duc. There will be nine stations in Districts 1 and 2 as well as Binh Thanh and Thu Duc Districts.
The first river bus route connecting District 1 and Thu Duc District.
Moreover, municipal authorities are also working to establish a second route linking Bach Dang to District 6’s Lo Gom neighborhood. The east-west connection will span 10.3 kilometers and feature 11 stops along the Tau Hu Canal. However, residents along this river bus line might have to wait a little longer as construction will only begin in 2018.
The second river bus route connecting District 1 and District 6.
The whole project took eight years to come to fruition and is predicted to cost a total of VND125 billion (US$5.48 million). In the first few years, the river bus management team plans to charge commuters VND15,000 per one-way trip.
A company called Thuong Nhat will operate the routes, utilizing 10 boats in the first phase, each capable of holding up to 60 passengers. Eventually, the two services will be able to transport 5,000 passengers per day.
While the prospect of a brand-new form of waterborne transport has undoubtedly excited locals, some experts have voiced concerns about the project’s efficiency in reality.
“I have been on speedboats and cruises along the Saigon River so many times and I notice that garbage in the water affects the speed of the boats,” Associate Professor Nguyen Van Hiep from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology told Tuoi Tre.
He added that the waterway bus project could achieve optimal operation only if the city thoroughly dredges the river and removes trash from the water.
Looking forward, after the second route is completed, Saigon is also mulling another waterway line connecting District 1 with Phu My Hung in District 7.
[Photos via Tuoi Tre]
