Police found a long-haul passenger bus transporting passengers 1.5 times its capacity on Sunday, when it was traveling from Hanoi to Yen Bai Province, thanks to a tip-off.
Traffic police said they had pulled over many buses carrying passengers exceeding their seats during the past days, as people were rushing back to their hometowns to celebrate a five-day holiday starting on Saturday to mark Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1).
Officers received a tip-off on Sunday morning that a bus operated by N.H., a firm in Yen Bai 150km to the northwest of Hanoi, was carrying 80-90 passengers, double its normal load, from the capital to the province.
A team of traffic police officers were then tasked with checking vehicles running on the route.
They pulled over bus number 21B 006.43, which was designed to transport 42 passengers, when it showed signs of an overload at 10:25 the same day.
Officers saw 73 passengers stuffed on the bus, driven by Do Van S., who admitted to departing from a station in Hanoi with 39 passengers on board and picking up many more along the way.
Local laws say that this kind of violation subjects the driver and his firm in Yen Bai to a fine worth over VND40 million (US$1,740) in total.
Another bus operated by a different company was also caught transporting 15 passengers more than it was designed to in the northern province of Ninh Binh the same day.
The driver and his company will be subject to a VND20 million ($870) fine, according to the law.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!