Don't put passengers in a difficult position.

Just looking at the number of sleeper buses operating every day on the North-South routes, especially from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to the provinces, we can see that this is a truly useful means of transport. Many passengers asked were satisfied with the convenience, time-saving, and reasonable cost of this means of transport, just need to get on the bus to sleep, arrive on time the next morning, and still ensure health. In conditions where transport infrastructure is still limited, airfares are expensive, trains take time and are not available on all routes, if there is no suitable alternative means of transport, banning sleeper buses will deprive people of a legitimate choice. Not to mention the economic loss to thousands of transport businesses and related workers.

According to experts, most of the sleeper buses today are converted from 45-seat buses. Technically, this conversion can affect the load-bearing structure, change the center of gravity of the vehicle, and increase the risk of overturning when encountering a collision or going downhill. In fact, there have been many accidents with sleeper buses that occurred at night, causing great casualties. However, that does not mean that sleeper buses are dangerous vehicles, especially when state management agencies have never had a full and serious report or study on the safety level, accident rate, and accident causes of this type of vehicle.

In countries like South Korea, China, and Thailand, sleeper buses are not banned and are even encouraged to develop towards modernization. Since 2010, China has begun to restrict the types of converted sleeper buses and gradually replace them with prototype sleeper buses, while at the same time promoting investment in high-speed rail infrastructure - a safe and convenient overnight transport solution that meets the needs of long-distance travel.

The problem here is, the management agencies need to clarify where the safety risks of sleeper buses come from, the vehicle design, the management of the vehicle and the driver or the traffic infrastructure? If there is a high potential risk, why not ban it from the root? Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, affirmed that there is currently no legal basis to ban sleeper buses, because all vehicles allowed to circulate have been registered and inspected in accordance with regulations. Interior conversions are all designed and constructed with the approval of competent authorities. Allowing substandard sleeper buses to circulate is the responsibility of the management and licensing agencies.

Sleeper buses may not be the ideal form of transport, but if they are to be phased out, a visionary transition is needed, with synchronous preparation in terms of technology, infrastructure and policy. Banning sleeper buses without having an alternative that is equivalent in price and convenience is like forcing passengers into a difficult situation.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dung-don-hanh-khach-vao-the-kho-post807543.html