HCM City Department of Transportation & Traffic has given the list of three river routes proposed to exploit bus boat for transportation public passenger.

According to Waterway Management - HCM City Department of Transportation & Traffic, waterway transportation currently on the rivers of HCM City mainly transports goods and the wharves take passengers across the river. But, the public passenger transport by waterway is still empty while the city has great potential to develop this type of transport.

Canoes of Daily Company pick employees up to work in industrial zones in HCM City. Photo: N. MINH

Save 40% of the travelling time

HCM City has 973 km in length of the rivers and canals - an impressive figure to develop the type of public passenger transport by waterway compared to other cities in the country.

Mr. Phan Hoang Tri, Deputy Director of Waterway Management said if the City hold the public passenger transport by waterway, the pressure of the road traffic will reduce the overload.

As Mr. Tri’s ideas, transport public passenger can save up to 40% of the time compared to the road, not mention in people’s suffering in traffic jams situations.

According to the navigation expert’s consideration, the waterway has the advantages that the road cannot have. Just do a little comparison; buses need ¼ of roadways while the ships need only a small area on the rivers. On the other hand, civil means of transport on rivers and canals of the city now are much less; therefore, traffic jams situation are so rare. If departure from District 1 to District 12 by road bus, the traffic jams can happen up to 40% while travelling by bus boat is only 1% for obstructed traffic situation.

To awake the potential to be forgotten

Because of not wanting to forget the potential waterway so large; recently, Department of Transportation & Traffic has listed three rivers expected to exploit bus by boat.

That is the line Nha Rong Wharf - Saigon River - Vam Thuat River - An Loc bridge (region of Nguyen Oanh, Go Vap District); Nha Rong Wharf - Ben Nghe Channel – Tau Hu – Cho Dem confluence (Binh Chanh District); Nha Rong Wharf - turn the downstream of Saigon River - Saigon Port – Te channel (over Tan Thuan bridge) - Doi channel (the region of Y Letter bridge, District 8).

As Mr. Tran The Ky, Deputy Director of Department of Transportation & Traffic, these rivers have river-bed relatively wide, the clearance of bridges not too low can be exploited by bus boat.

Recently, Waterway Management has also proceed surveys on line Nha Rong Wharf - Saigon River - Vam Thuat River - An Loc bridge and chose approximately 30 places to build yards for this route. After Lunar Year, Department of Transportation & Traffic will submit City People’s Committee assessment survey results.

Despite of the great potential of public passenger transport by waterway, the city's canal system has many shortcomings. Tidal amplitude in the city is quite large, sometimes up to 3m.

Prerequisite condition of public passenger transport is on time, so cannot wait for high tide to run. Another thing, there are many bridges on the canals which are unsatisfactory, affecting the ability to exploit routes.

Specifically, with 87 rivers and canals managed by Waterway Management, there are 27 routes with static of bridge are unqualified under the provision. In addition, high ticket prices (nearly VND 20,000/ticket) and people do not have the habit of using means of transports by waterway will cause this type of transport being "lukewarm."

However, Mr Tri said "These difficulties can be resolved. Waterway transportation in HCMC has great potential which should be taken to exploit. "

Many ideas are showed that if businesses “attract” to the public passenger transport by waterway, authorities must have policies to support and compensate for losses in the first time to attract people to use or permit they get revenues for expenditure by business travel to "feed" bus transport by waterway.

Ánh Nguyệt

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