Nguyen Tien Minh, party secretary of Thuong Tin District, made the suggestion at a seminar on the city’s public transport development.

The river bus in HCM City

According to Minh, Hanoi shouldn’t launch more bus routes in the context of its limited infrastructure.

He added that Hanoi is carrying out the planning project of the Red River’s two banks, so it was a suitable time for opening the river bus route which offers visitors a chance to see the capital city from the river.

At the meeting, many delegates mentioned the necessity to build more parking lots in inner-city districts.

Vu Van Vien, director of the Hanoi Department of Transport, said that Hanoi was implementing the transport planning approved by the government. The city would consider new kinds of transport to meet real demand.

Regarding the parking lot proposal, Vien admitted that the city centre lacked land for these projects. So only underground parking lots would be feasible.

The first river bus route in HCM City was launched this morning in August 2017, and was expected to cut travel time for passengers by a third compared to using a bus.

The 11-kilometre route was officially put into operation after the pilot run between June 30 and July 30. It starts at Bach Dang wharf in District 1, follows the Saigon River through Thanh Da Canal then ends at the crossing station on Binh Quoi River in Thu Duc District’s Linh Dong Ward.