Hanoi is committed to using electric buses or green energy vehicles for public transport, in line with the national government's policy, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen said at a year-end conference recently held by the municipal Department of Transport.

"To flesh out the roadmap for replacing diesel-powered buses with those that use green energy from now until 2035, the Hanoi Department of Transport has secured the support of 11 passenger transport companies for this conversion, as well as for the trial of electronic ticketing," Quyen said.

Electric bus #03 from My Dinh Station to Ocean Park Urban Area. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

He added that the Hanoi Transport Corporation (Transerco) is tasked with developing a roadmap and reporting to the municipal Department of Transport on the project to switch to green energy vehicles while working out mechanisms for implementation, such as subsidizing loan interest and installing charging stations for electric buses.

According to Nguyen Thanh Nam, General Director of Transerco, the company has adjusted bus routes to avoid traffic congestion and improve passenger convenience and changed the timetable of nearly bus routes. At the same time, the company has also readjusted the service frequency and service schedules of 20 routes.

Regarding effective operations, Nam said the two existing bus routes connecting to Noi Bai International Airport, numbered 68 and 86, grossed an estimated revenue of 89% of the annual plan, and the profit is estimated to exceed 24.6% of the plan. In 2023, Hanoi's public transport entity Transerco operated more than 3.8 million trips and transported over 227.6 million passengers, an increase of 35% year-on-year. Passenger transport performance is estimated to reach 58% of the city's total network capacity.

Also, in 2023, the City Tour (inner-city tourist bus route) operated nearly 7,900 trips, with revenue reaching 31.7% of the plan, contributing largely to making Hanoi a favorite destination for domestic and international tourists. "More and more people are choosing public transport to travel. Therefore, we expect to open electric bus routes and take a step forward in the mission to create green transportation and reduce air and noise pollution," Nam stressed.

He stressed that Transerco will strive to launch its electric bus lines in 2024 following the effective operations of the country's first smart electric bus service in Hanoi in April 2021 by VinBus Transport Services Limited Company, a subsidiary of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup.