The HCMC Transport Department has approved that the Saigon Waterbus operator cuts the number of trips to 12 a day from the regular 20-30.

The Thuong Nhat Co. Ltd., which operates the river bus, said passenger numbers had been down by half ever since the novel coronavirus outbreak struck Vietnam. The Prime Minister declared the outbreak on epidemic on February 1.

The company’s CEO, Nguyen Kim Toan, said that as the boats have the potential to an environment for contagion, more trips could be cut in the coming days.

The river bus was launched in November 2017 as an alternative means of transportation to deal with heavy congestion on Saigon roads.

Before the outbreak, the bus served about 900 passengers a day, mostly tourists.