Driver fined for cramming 81 passengers in 41-seat bus

By Le Tan February 5, 2024 | 10:46 pm PT

Passengers are crammed on a sleeper bus in Hai Phong City, Feb. 4, 2024. Photo by police

The Hai Phong City traffic police have fined an avaricious bus driver who took advantage of the Tet demand to cram 81 people into his 41-seat sleeper vehicle.

Vu Van Tiep has been fined VND20 million (US$820), the police said Monday.

At 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 4 a police patrol team on National Highway 10 in the northern city stopped the bus traveling between Nam Dinh and Quang Ninh provinces for a routine check.

They found the bus packed to the rafters with passengers sitting or lying on the floor in cramped conditions.

The bus owned by Thuan Thao Company plies on a fixed route between Nam Dinh and Quang Ninh.

Tiep told the police that many people want to go home for the upcoming Lunar New Year this weekend, and he wanted to earn some extra money.

The passengers boarded the bus on the street rather than the terminus and paid less than the regular fare, and so put up with the crush.

Under a government decree, drivers are fined VND400,000 to 600,000 per person they carry above the stipulated capacity and a maximum of VND40 million.