People board a coach at the Eastern Terminal, HCM City. There are now more buses with beds operating out of the terminal, but many have more than permitted and lack safety equipment (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Carrying morepassengers and cargo than permitted and lack of fire safety equipment includingextinguishers were the most common violations committed by inter-provincialpublic transport buses, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport reportedfollowing inspections.
According to inspectors, there is an increasingnumber of buses with beds operating out of the Mien Dong (Eastern), Mien Tay(Western), An Suong and Nga Tu Ga bus stations, but many have more beds thanpermitted and lack safety equipment.
In many cases, passengers were anxious for theirsafety because the buses were stuffed with cargo, including fuels, which wouldnot only obstruct their escape route in case of traffic accidents but were alsothemselves dangerous.
Le Van Tuan, head of the Inspection Division’sTeam 7, said checks at the Nga Tu Ga Coach Station found buses with someof their beds removed to make space for cargo.
The owners of the coaches said they had done it toearn money since there are not enough passengers.
However, during holidays, especially Tet (LunarNew Year), when a large number of people take buses to return home, extra seatsare added.
During inspections from August 2017 to May 2018,nearly 2,000 buses were checked and 74 were found violating the law.
Inspectors said 36 lacked fire extinguishers orhad obsolete ones, 20 had removed seats to create cargo space or had more seatsthan permitted and six lacked escape hammers.
Le Hong Viet, the department’s deputy inspector,said besides slapping fines, the inspectors also ordered the owners of buseswith extra seats and beds to get their vehicles certified afresh for fitness bythe transport department before operating again.
When passengers find safety compromised on buses,they should call the hotline set up by the locality’s transportation safetyboard so that authorities could act to prevent traffic problems and penalisethe violators, Viet said.-VNS/VNA
According to inspectors, there is an increasingnumber of buses with beds operating out of the Mien Dong (Eastern), Mien Tay(Western), An Suong and Nga Tu Ga bus stations, but many have more beds thanpermitted and lack safety equipment.
In many cases, passengers were anxious for theirsafety because the buses were stuffed with cargo, including fuels, which wouldnot only obstruct their escape route in case of traffic accidents but were alsothemselves dangerous.
Le Van Tuan, head of the Inspection Division’sTeam 7, said checks at the Nga Tu Ga Coach Station found buses with someof their beds removed to make space for cargo.
The owners of the coaches said they had done it toearn money since there are not enough passengers.
However, during holidays, especially Tet (LunarNew Year), when a large number of people take buses to return home, extra seatsare added.
During inspections from August 2017 to May 2018,nearly 2,000 buses were checked and 74 were found violating the law.
Inspectors said 36 lacked fire extinguishers orhad obsolete ones, 20 had removed seats to create cargo space or had more seatsthan permitted and six lacked escape hammers.
Le Hong Viet, the department’s deputy inspector,said besides slapping fines, the inspectors also ordered the owners of buseswith extra seats and beds to get their vehicles certified afresh for fitness bythe transport department before operating again.
When passengers find safety compromised on buses,they should call the hotline set up by the locality’s transportation safetyboard so that authorities could act to prevent traffic problems and penalisethe violators, Viet said.-VNS/VNA
VNA
