Hanoi mulls new high quality bus to international airport

The Hanoi Department of Transport has submitted a proposal for the new bus route to the Hanoi People’s Committee this week. The proposal is part of its plan to open up more high quality bus routes in the city.

The new bus route will be approximately 40.7 km long, take 70-75 minutes per trip, and cost VND40,000 ($1.75) per person. The price is unsubsidized, said Vu Van Vien, director of the department.

The starting point of the new route will be the Me Linh Plaza in Ha Dong District. The final stops will be at Terminals 1 and 2 of the Noi Bai International Airport.

The buses will run from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day. There will be one bus every 30 minutes, equivalent to 68 trips per day.

Vien told local media that the new route will have several advantages, including "high quality" buses, faster than existing subsidized routes that have more stops, extended operating radius, fixed schedule, and extended service times.

Vien said the advantages are expected to draw travellers away from using personal vehicles, taxi services, or ride hailing firms and to switch over to public transport.

"The opening of this bus route will help reduce traffic on roads leading up to the airport, lessen the risk of congestion," he said.

Currently, five bus routes connect Noi Bai to the city centre, of which four are subsidized and the remaining one is an unsubsidized "high quality" route.