Ensuring fire safety in fixed-route passenger transport operations in Vietnam from September 15, 2022
Criteria for establishing fixed passenger transport routes in Vietnam
Based on Article 17 of Circular 12/2022/TT-BGTVT, the following regulations apply:
“Article 17. Criteria for Establishing Routes
1. There must be a publicly announced road network for the entire journey.
2. There must be bus stations at both departure and arrival points that have been officially announced for operation by the competent authority.
3. Route Code for Fixed Passenger Transport
a) Interprovincial fixed passenger transport routes must have a route code determined by the codes of departure and arrival provinces or cities; and the codes of departure and arrival bus stations. Route codes are ordered as follows: the province or city with the smaller code precedes the province or city with the larger code; the bus station of the province or city with the smaller code precedes the bus station of the province or city with the larger code. If the route has multiple different journeys, additional Vietnamese alphabet characters (A, B, C) should be added at the end of the code.
b) Intracity fixed passenger transport routes must have a route code determined by the province or city code and the bus station codes. Route codes are ordered as follows: province or city code first, then smaller bus station code, followed by larger bus station code. If the route has multiple different journeys, additional Vietnamese alphabet characters (A, B, C) should be added at the end of the code.”
Thus, the establishment of fixed passenger transport routes is currently carried out according to the criteria mentioned above.
Ensuring fire safety in fixed-route passenger transport operations in Vietnam from September 15, 2022 (Image from the internet)
Criteria for passenger pick-up/drop-off points in fixed route passenger transport operations in Vietnam
Based on Article 18 of Circular 12/2022/TT-BGTVT, the following regulations apply:
“Article 18. Guidelines for Organization, Management, and Criteria for Fixed Route Passenger Pick-up/Drop-off Points
1. Criteria for Passenger Pick-up/Drop-off Points
a) Pick-up/drop-off points must be located in places ensuring traffic safety and convenience for passengers to get on and off the bus;
b) There must be enough space for vehicles to pick up/drop off passengers without affecting other vehicles on the road;
c) Pick-up/drop-off points must use Guide Signs (Sign No. I.434a) applicable for fixed routes according to the National Technical Regulations on Road Signs No. QCVN 41:2019/BGTVT issued along with Circular No. 54/2019/TT-BGTVT dated December 31, 2019, by the Minister of Transport;
d) The minimum distance between 02 adjacent pick-up/drop-off points or between a pick-up/drop-off point and a rest stop or between a pick-up/drop-off point and the bus stations at both ends of the route is determined by the local Department of Transport based on actual conditions and local traffic organization.
2. Organization and Management of Passenger Pick-up/Drop-off Points
a) Pick-up/drop-off points are exclusively for fixed-route passenger transport vehicles; no other activities are allowed;
b) At pick-up/drop-off points, each fixed-route passenger transport vehicle is allowed to stop for a maximum of no more than 03 minutes;
c) The local Department of Transport specifies the locations of fixed-route passenger pick-up/drop-off points (for national highways, this must be agreed upon with the competent road management authority; for roads managed by district (city) People's Committees, this must be agreed upon with the district (city) People’s Committees) and submits them to the provincial People's Committees for approval;
d) The local Department of Transport advises the provincial People's Committees on the organization, management, and ensuring traffic safety, security, and environmental hygiene at the pick-up/drop-off points within the local area;
dd) Pick-up/drop-off points are invested and built based on the following principles: for newly constructed, upgraded, or expanded roads, the investor is responsible for including them as an item in the investment project; for currently operating roads, organizations and individuals invest in construction through private investment or state budget sources;
e) The local Department of Transport issues an official notification of the commencement or cessation of operation of the pick-up/drop-off points on fixed routes.”
Thus, the determination of passenger pick-up/drop-off points in fixed-route passenger transport operations is currently carried out according to the criteria mentioned above.
Changes in regulations on ensuring fire safety in fixed route passenger transport operations in Vietnam
Based on Article 20 of Circular 12/2020/TT-BGTVT, the current requirements and conditions for fixed-route passenger transport operations are as follows:
“Article 20. Regulations for Fixed Route Passenger Transport Vehicles
1. Must comply with the provisions of Clause 4, Article 4 of Decree No. 10/2020/ND-CP.
2. Information must be posted as prescribed in Clause 4, Article 19 of this Circular.
3. The quantity, quality, and arrangement of seats and beds in the vehicle must comply with the vehicle’s design and be numbered sequentially from front to back.
4. The vehicle must be equipped with escape tools and a fire extinguisher that is functional and not expired, according to regulations.
5. The vehicle must have a fixed-route badge as defined in Appendix 4 issued along with this Circular. The badge must be affixed permanently at the top right corner just below the inspection sticker on the inner side of the front windshield.
6. Behind the seats or next to the beds, there must be a Safety and Emergency Instruction Board, with the main contents including: regulations that seat belts must be securely fastened before the vehicle moves and instructions on fastening the seat belt (if any); instructions on luggage arrangement; no smoking sign in the vehicle; instructions on using the vehicle’s electrical system (if any); instructions on using the fire extinguisher, escape hammer, and escape route in case of emergency.
7. At any given time, each vehicle can register and operate a maximum of 02 fixed passenger transport routes, and these routes are allowed to be consecutive (the bus station at the end of one route is the departure bus station of the next route).”
However, in the near future, there will be changes regarding ensuring fire safety in fixed-route passenger transport operations according to Clause 2, Article 1 of Circular 17/2022/TT-BGTVT as follows:
“Article 1. Amendments and Supplements to Certain Articles of Circular No. 12/2020/TT-BGTVT dated May 29, 2020, by the Minister of Transport on Organizing and Managing Transport Operations by Automobile and Road Transport Support Services
…
2. Amend and supplement Clause 4 of Article 20 as follows:
4. The vehicle must be equipped with escape tools; ensure fire and explosion safety conditions for motor vehicles as prescribed in Decree No. 136/2020/ND-CP dated November 24, 2020, by the Government of Vietnam, detailing several articles and measures for implementing the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting and the Law on Amendments and Supplements to several articles of the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting.”
Thus, in the near future, fixed-route passenger transport operations must ensure fire and explosion safety conditions for motor vehicles, rather than just equipping fire extinguishers as currently implemented.
Circular 17/2022/TT-BGTVT will take effect from September 15, 2022.
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