Ho Chi Minh City plans to allocate approximately 7 trillion VND ($280 million) annually to make city bus travel free for everyone. Authorities expect to finalize the new policy by the end of April 2026.
Ho Chi Minh City Party leader Tran Luu Quang announced on April 1st that free travel will apply to 135 intra-city routes. Inter-provincial lines will remain paid due to a separate funding mechanism.
According to Bui Hoa An, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the city currently spends about 1.5 trillion VND ($57 million) per year subsidizing bus transportation.
It is projected that the number of passengers will increase by approximately 30% compared to 2025, which will create additional strain on the existing infrastructure. To cope with this, authorities plan to increase the frequency of flights and optimize routes with high traffic, especially those connecting schools, residential areas, and industrial zones.
In 2025, the network transported almost 97 million passengers, which is 6% more than in 2024. Further growth in passenger traffic was noted at the beginning of 2026.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City serves 179 routes and over 2,100 vehicles. Previously, free travel was provided to limited groups – the elderly, children, and people with disabilities, while standard fares on subsidized routes were 5,000–7,000 VND (0.19–0.27 USD) per trip.
The proposal is expected to be officially presented for approval to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council at the end of April 2026.