Saigon bus drives on sidewalk to beat traffic, leaves pedestrians in shock

By Son Hoa   June 2, 2017 | 05:31 pm PT
A viral video captures the moment, showing motorbikes are no longer the only invasive vehicles.

A video circulated on the internet this week shows a bus running on the sidewalk of a main street in Ho Chi Minh City, leaving almost everyone in shock.

The route 38 bus was initially seen driving on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street alongside other vehicles on Thursday afternoon. However, it suddenly climbed onto the sidewalk, apparently to beat the congestion.

The bus continued to drive on the sidewalk for over 100 meters (330 feet) before going back to the road.

The bus seen in the video is operated by SaigonBus, said Do Chi Trung, director of Ho Chi Minh City's public transport center. The company will handle the incident as a breach of contract, and the driver will also be reported to traffic police.

“Sidewalks are for pedestrians, and buses are not supposed to drive there. The driver has committed a serious offense,” Trung said.

He confirmed that the driver, whose identity has been withheld, was suspended immediately.

Motorbikes driving on the sidewalks is not an uncommon sight in Ho Chi Minh City. In early February, as part of the sidewalk cleanup campaign, the city's District 1 installed more barriers on some sidewalks to prevent the illegal and unsafe practice. 

Now three months after the campaign, many sidewalks around the city have been occupied again by either vehicles or vendors.

 
 
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