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HCM City opens three electric bus routes

| dtinews.vn | November 03, 2016 07:00 AM

HCM City authorities have agreed a pilot project to operate three electric bus routes in the city centre as part of efforts to improve the city’s tourism development.

The 12-seat electricity-powered buses will run in the city centre, with routes travelling past well-known locations.

Route 1 with 11 buses departs from 23/9 Park, travels along Pham Ngu Lao and Hai Ba Trung and stops at Saigon Zoo and the Botanical Gardens.

Route 2 will run in the Phu My Hung residential area and District 7, while the third route operates between District 1 and District 3.

The buses will be operated from 5 am to 10 pm every day. The buses will run based on a 10-15 minute timetable between stops, with each capable of carrying 12 passengers at a maximum 30 kilometres per hour, it said.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the opening of three routes for 12-seat electricity-powered buses for the next three years in HCM City.

The city will file a report every six months.

Mai Linh Group plans to run 10,000 electric cars to replace Mai Linh-branded taxis around Vietnam, including 3,964 in HCM City. The group is seeking the municipal people’s committee's approval for the pilot for the first 100 electric cars.