The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has submitted to the municipal People’s Committee a plan to transport passengers on the city’s first metro line, which includes solutions to connect its stations with bus, bicycle, and e-vehicle routes.

The first metro link, which stretches from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Suoi Tien Theme Park in Thu Duc City, ​​comprises three underground stations and 11 above-ground stops.

Various bus, bike, and EV routes are available in the area surrounding Ben Thanh Market, making life easier for passengers to access the metro line.

In particular, over 20 bus routes with more than 3,500 rides a day can provide connectivity for passengers to the first metro line.

The city is set to open two more bus routes to link with Ben Thanh Station after the metro line is put into service in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Moreover, as many as 43 available bike rental stations in downtown Ho Chi Minh City are expected to facilitate connectivity for passengers to the first metro line.

Of the total, three stations stand near Quach Thi Trang Square in front of Ben Thanh Market.

An additional two bike rental stations will be opened on a sidewalk along Pham Ngu Lao Street and near September 23 Park.

The municipal department will also tap the operation of EVs and open-top double-decker buses to push up passengers’ access to the metro system.

Some 200 four-wheel EVs are running in certain areas in Districts 1, 4, 5, and 6 on a trial basis, while the city is piloting open-top double-decker bus services that serve both tourists and commuters.

These double-decker buses ply two routes spanning through Ben Thanh Market.

The department has recently proposed the municipal administration expand the double-decker bus service pilot program to Cho Lon Market.

Besides, the department presented its solutions to connectivity with the corridor of the metro line.

The city is reorganizing the network of buses along Vo Nguyen Giap Street and the Hanoi Highway, and neighboring areas along the first metro line.

The Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport is working to select appropriate firms to operate subsidized bus routes which are set to be put into service in July this year.

According to the municipal department, the first metro will run from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily in 2024, with nine trains, which will feature a combined 200 rides at a frequency of about 8-12 minutes per departure.

In 2025, the metro trains will be available from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm each day.

The city’s first metro link is 98 percent complete.

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