Tiếng Việt
普通话
A DATAM representative was cited by Thanh Nien Online newspaper as saying that the project requires an estimated investment of US$525 million, which will be sourced from the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund.
Of the total investment, US$300 million will be used to manufacture 20,000 electric buses and US$225 million to install solar-powered LED street lights, artificial intelligence-based cameras and free WiFi. The system will first be piloted on a two-way 30-kilometer road section, costing US$10 million.
A medium-sized electric bus will have 17 seats, including one for the driver and one for a disabled person. The bus will be 1.49 meters wide and can run on lanes of at least 1.5 meters, equivalent to only 60% of the current bus lanes’ width.
HCMC will be given the technology to manufacture the electric buses at a cost equal to 20% that of normal buses. The project is expected to create jobs for local laborers and help the city export electric buses to other ASEAN countries in the future.
DATAM Chairman James Lee said that the smart electric BRT project is aimed at easing traffic congestion and environmental pollution in the city; saving energy; and providing local residents, tourists and foreigners living and working in the city with environmentally friendly public transport services.
According to Le Hai Phong, deputy head of the Road Transport Management Division, under the HCMC Department of Transport, despite the city’s efforts in traffic infrastructure development, it still finds it hard to keep pace with the vehicle growth rate.
The severe traffic congestion has caused losses of some US$1.5 billion per year for the city and hindered its socioeconomic development. In addition, traffic jams have resulted in serious environmental pollution, where 70% of the city’s pollution was caused by exhaust emissions from vehicles.
Therefore, the smart electric BRT system is an efficient solution to address the city’s congestion and pollution.
The mobilization of private resources and application of advanced technologies are crucial to effectively exploit the city’s infrastructure and develop a digital economy, making HCMC an attractive and safe destination, noted a representative of the municipal Department of Transport.
HCMC currently has some 3,000 buses plying 152 routes, meeting only 9.5% of the local demand. The city needs a fleet of some 21,000 buses to fully meet the demand.