The city has been trialing electric buses since 2017 on three non-subsidized routes around downtown, the Phu My Hung urban area and the length of the Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal.

They have received positive feedback from commuters, but the small test area and low frequency mean they cannot attract regular passengers and become profitable.

The department wants the ministry to extend the trial phase until a comprehensive regulatory framework is added to the Road Traffic Law.

It also sought permission for Gia Nghia Transport Tourism Limited Company to operate electric buses between the port, hotels and tourist attractions in Can Gio District.

According to official data, an average 305 million passengers use public buses in HCMC a year back in 2012. For 2020, the city had targeted to attract just 147 million.

In the 2014-2018 period, the number of bus passengers in the city had dropped steadily by 6.6 percent each year. In 2019, the decreasing ratio was 13 percent against 2018.