Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one of three components of the public transport project in Hanoi which started in 2013. With a total investment of nearly $55 million funding from preferential loans of the the World Bank, BRT is erected for the purpose of reducing the use of personal vehicles and traffic jams in the city and cutting travel time by half for passengers.
The BRT’s system is designed to improve the speed and ensure the quality of buses. Therefore, buses have their own lanes to travel faster and more efficiently but are still able to move on mixed lanes with other vehicles in some stretches, and other vehicles are not permitted to use bus-only lanes or park near BRT stations where passengers get on and off. Hanoi will also take measures to soon restrict motor vehicles on some streets and overpasses such as taxis, cars and trucks during rush hours to facilitate the new service. The first BRT route linking Kim Ma and Yen Nghia bus terminals has been officially put into operation since January 1, 2017. With the first BRT buses in Hanoi running in 2017, Vietnam will be the eighth country in Southeast Asia to implement BRT.
To be more specific, the two-way route No. 01, connecting Kim Ma and Yen Nghia, will have rapid buses running on a dedicated lane. This 14-kilometer journey is expected to take only 30 minutes:
First way: Yen Nghia Terminal – Highway 6 – Ba La – Quang Trung (Ha Dong) – Le Trong Tan – To Huu – Le Van Luong– Lang Ha – Giang Vo – Giang Văn Minh – Kim Ma Terminal.
Second way: Kim Ma Terminal – Giang Vo – Lang Ha – Le Van Luong – To Huu – Le Trong Tan – Quang Trung (Ha Dong) – Ba La – Highway 6 – Yen Nghia Terminal.
There are 24 buses running from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 14 buses on Sunday, with the frequency of between 5 and 15 minutes. A one-way ticket will cost 7,000 VND (US$0.30), equivalent to the fare of normal buses. The rapid bus can be tried free for one month in January by commuters. 7 other BRT routes are expected to launch in the near future include:
- Ngoc Hoi – Phu Xuyen: 27 km
- Son Dong – Ba Vi: 20 km
- Phu Dong – Bat Trang – Hung Yen: 15 km
- Gia Lam – Me Linh: 30 km
- Me Linh – Son Đong – Yên Nghia – Ngoc Hoi – Highway 5 – Lac Dao: 53 km
- Ba La – Ung Hoa: 29 km
- Ung Hoa – Phu Xuyen: 17 km
