Ho Chi Minh City plans to offer free bus services to all citizens on 135 routes starting in May.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has proposed a plan to waive bus fares for all passengers in the city, starting in May, with a total cost of 930 billion VND for the remaining 8 months of 2026.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has just submitted a proposal to the City People's Committee suggesting the development of a resolution on a policy of free bus fares for all citizens. To ensure timely implementation in the second quarter, the department recommends applying a simplified procedure to submit the proposal to the City People's Council for approval during the April session.
According to the proposed plan, this policy will apply to 135 bus routes operating within Ho Chi Minh City, including 109 subsidized routes and 26 non-subsidized routes. The free fare policy will only apply to inner-city and inter-provincial routes. Inter-provincial bus routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with neighboring provinces will not be covered by this resolution.
It is expected that in May, Ho Chi Minh City will offer free bus fares to all citizens on 136 routes.
Based on calculations by specialized agencies, if the policy is implemented from May, the total estimated cost for the remaining 8 months of 2026 will be approximately 930 billion VND. This funding will be allocated from the city budget.
Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City will provide 627 billion VND to subsidized routes and 303 billion VND to non-subsidized routes.
According to the Department of Construction, payments to transportation companies will be based on an electronic ticketing system to ensure transparency and accuracy, avoiding unnecessary administrative procedures for citizens and businesses. The core objective of this proposal is not only to reduce travel costs for citizens in the current economic climate, but more importantly, to change the habit of using private vehicles. The policy of
free bus travel for all citizens was announced by the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Tran Luu Quang, at the 5th City Party Committee Conference, aiming to reduce travel costs and promote the use of public transport to reduce congestion and pollution.
Ho Chi Minh City currently operates 1,780 buses (including 600 electric buses), aiming to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly city.
Tuan Kiet,
According to Vietnamnet