Ho Chi Minh City plans free bus travel through end of 2026
Ho Chi Minh City plans to offer free bus services to all passengers from July 1 through the end of 2026 under a proposal expected to be approved by the municipal People's Council at its meeting on June 19–20.
The city's People's Committee has proposed allocating an additional VND665 billion (about US$26 million) to cover 100% of bus fares during the six-month period.
Of the total, around VND454 billion would subsidise 109 existing subsidised routes, while VND211 billion would support 26 non-subsidised routes.
The policy will be implemented in two phases. From July to September, passengers will travel free of charge without identity verification.
From October to December, free travel will continue, but passengers will be required to verify their identity by scanning a card or QR code through the electronic ticketing system installed on buses.
Ho Chi Minh City currently operates 180 bus routes, including 158 intra-city services and 22 inter-provincial routes linking neighbouring localities such as Tay Ninh, Dong Thap and Dong Nai.
The free fare policy will not apply to inter-provincial bus routes, open-top sightseeing buses or airport shuttle services connecting urban centres and tourist destinations.
Bus fares on subsidised routes currently range from VND5,000 to VND7,000 per trip, while students pay VND3,000.
The city said public bus usage remains well below expectations, accounting for only about 1.6% of total travel demand in 2025, compared with the target of 7.23%. Previous fare exemption programmes led to temporary increases in ridership, but passenger numbers declined once the incentives ended.
According to the municipal People's Committee, the proposed policy represents a people-centred social welfare initiative aimed at improving public services, supporting social security and encouraging residents to shift from private vehicles to public transport, thereby contributing to a greener and more sustainable urban transport system.
Hanoi studies expansion of free bus fares as HCM City proposes full fare waiver
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