Around 1700-1800 buses in HCM City will be replaced by new ones to meet higher emissions standards and to adapt to the city’s roads, according to Department of Transportation plan.

Currently 3,200 buses transport passengers around the city, including 1318 buses bought in 2003. All meet to Euro1 emissions standard, but their quality has downgraded over time.

“By 2012-2013 the life cycle of 1318 buses in HCM City will come to an end. We need to replace them with new buses meeting higher emissions standards and their size will be reconsidered to fit the city’s roads,” revealed Duong Hong Thanh, the deputy director of HCM City Department of Transportation.

Thanh estimates that the city needs around 1700-1800 new buses over the next few years and his department would submit the plan to the city government this June 2010.

The city is seeking ways to attract bus passengers since their numbers fell in 2000 and only serves 5-6 percent of the population. Moreover, the first subway line will not open until 2015 and thus buses will remain the major means of public transport.

PV