11.4.2. Promote sustainable commuting

11.4.2. Promoting Sustainable Transportation

In 2025, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) continued to implement measures promoting sustainable transportation by maintaining and expanding shared transport services, subsidising travel costs, connecting with public transport networks, and organising programmes encouraging students, lecturers, staff and employees to adopt more sustainable travel habits.

At the centre of these efforts was the UEH Shuttle Bus service, with five routes linking teaching campuses, dormitories and public transport interchange points. From March 2025, UEH added four trips, bringing the schedule to 24 trips per day. In August 2025, the University further adjusted its routes, connecting Routes 1 and 3 to Ben Thanh Metro Station so that students and staff could combine different modes of shared transport on their journeys to campus.

In 2025, UEH recorded 86,131 Shuttle Bus passenger trips, an increase of 17.1% over 2024. UEH allocated more than VND 1.1 billion to subsidise the service, maintaining a fare of VND 5,000 per trip to provide affordable shared transport for students. Alongside operational measures, UEH organised green mobility initiatives such as Green Pulse and Go Green, Be Seen, encouraging students to experience bus travel, walking, carpooling and other sustainable transport options.

By combining investment in transport services, financial support, integration with public transport infrastructure and behaviour-change initiatives, UEH created more opportunities for the university community to reduce its reliance on private vehicles and adopt convenient, accessible and more sustainable travel options.

Main source:

UEH Department of Student Affairs – UEH Encourages Sustainable Transportation: Expanding the Shuttle Bus Service and Strengthening Public Transport Connections, 15 December 2025:
https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/ueh-shuttle-bus/ueh-khuyen-khich-tham-gia-giao-thong-ben-vung-mo-rong-dich-vu-shuttle-bus-va-tang-cuong-ket-noi-giao-thong-cong-cong/

1. Green Campus Regulations – A Foundation for Promoting Sustainable Transportation

1.1. Policy Encouraging Public Transport

UEH implements its Green Campus Regulations, issued under Decision No. 2059/QD-DHKT-CSVC in 2022 by the Rector of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, to promote awareness and the practice of green lifestyles throughout the university community.

The Regulations apply to staff, employees, students and relevant service providers. Under Article 2, Clause 1, UEH encourages members of its community to use public transport and the UEH Shuttle Bus when travelling to university campuses, while promoting physical activity and resource-saving practices on campus.

This commitment to public transport is put into practice by maintaining the UEH Shuttle Bus service, adjusting schedules and stops, providing travel subsidies, offering guidance on accessing public bus services and implementing awareness campaigns on green mobility.

1.2. Encouraging Zero-emission Vehicles

Article 11 of the Green Campus Regulations, publicly available on the UEH Green Campus website, outlines transport-management measures supporting zero-emission vehicles, including encouraging bicycles, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles and electric cars, developing supporting infrastructure and prioritising green mobility on campus. These provisions reflect UEH’s intention to broaden sustainable travel options beyond the Shuttle Bus and conventional public transport.

UEH Green Campus Regulations

Article 11 outlines transport-management measures supporting zero-emission vehicles under the UEH Green Campus Regulations

2. UEH Shuttle Bus – A Key Initiative for Sustainable Transportation

2.1. Expanding the Service and Increasing Trips from March 2025

Effective 3 March 2025, the UEH Department of Student Affairs revised the timetable and added four Shuttle Bus trips, raising the total to 24 daily departures: 12 in the morning and 12 in the afternoon across five routes. The revisions responded to travel demand and feedback from students and staff, improving convenience when moving between teaching campuses.

Alongside the additional trips, UEH maintained its Shuttle Bus application to provide timetables, route and pickup information, and a channel for user feedback. These improvements demonstrate the University’s efforts to make shared transport more accessible and support students and staff in choosing it over private vehicles.

Source: UEH Department of Student Affairs – Notice on Additional Trips and Updated UEH Shuttle Bus Routes, effective 3 March 2025.
https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/thong-bao-bo-sung-va-cap-nhat-lo-trinh-ueh-shuttle-bus/

UEH Shuttle Bus updated its routes in 2025

2.2. Connecting the Shuttle Bus with Metro Line 1 and UEH Campuses

On 3 August 2025, UEH announced the Shuttle Bus routes for the new academic year, comprising five routes linking teaching campuses, dormitories, central Ho Chi Minh City and the Nguyen Van Linh campus.

Notably, Routes 1 and 3 added pickup points near Ben Thanh Metro Station, Exit 4, enabling students and staff to combine urban rail services with the Shuttle Bus on their journeys to university.
The routes were as follows:

• Route 1: Eastern Bus Station area, central stops and Ben Thanh Metro Station to the Nguyen Van Linh campus.
• Route 2: Dam Sen area, Nguyen Tri Phuong and Nguyen Chi Thanh Dormitory to the Nguyen Van Linh campus.
• Route 3: Vo Van Tan campus, Ben Thanh Metro Station, dormitories and Nguyen Tri Phuong to the Nguyen Van Linh campus.
• Route 4: Nguyen Tri Phuong and Nguyen Chi Thanh Dormitory to the Nguyen Van Linh campus.
• Route 5: Priority route for lecturers, officials and staff, linking Nguyen Tri Phuong with Nguyen Van Linh.

UEH also added departures from Nguyen Tri Phuong at 08:30 and 14:30 to accommodate students’ travel needs, particularly for Physical Education classes. By integrating Metro stops, dormitories and teaching campuses, UEH enabled students, lecturers and staff to use shared transport rather than private vehicles for their entire journeys.

UEH Shuttle Bus added a stop connecting directly with Metro Line 1

2.3. Financial Support and Monitoring Shuttle Bus Ridership

UEH maintained a Shuttle Bus fare of VND 5,000 per trip alongside subsidies to ease commuting costs and make shared transport more accessible to students. According to the Department of Student Affairs, bookings and passenger trips increased continuously from 2023 to 2025:

Compared with 2024, Shuttle Bus ridership increased by 12,602 trips in 2025. Compared with 2023, the increase was 27,963 trips, equivalent to 48.1%. In 2025, UEH allocated more than VND 1.1 billion to subsidise the service. This demonstrates UEH’s use of financial resources and ongoing operations to encourage affordable shared transportation.

3. Encouraging Walking, Carpooling and Green Transport Experiences

3.1. Green Pulse – A Challenge to Change Travel Behaviour

From 6 to 17 November 2025, the Accounting Faculty Student Association organised Green Pulse as part of the UEH Green Campus campaign to raise awareness and encourage environmentally friendly travel. The programme attracted more than 700 student registrations and nearly 600 student commitments, and featured two main activities.

The Green Pulse programme in 2025

First activity – Green Your Mind: An online communication series highlighting the benefits of green transport, the impacts of private vehicles and travel-support applications such as UEH Shuttle Bus and BusMap. The series recorded more than 10,000 views/reach and 500 interactions.
Second activity – Green Your Steps: A seven-day challenge involving sustainable travel practices, including:

• Walking for suitable distances.
• Carpooling with others.
• Using public buses or the UEH Shuttle Bus.
• Going one day without petrol-powered transport (No Fuel Day).
• Checking in at UEH green infrastructure locations.

The programme recorded student participation and self-reported changes in travel choices, from exploring bus routes to trying public transport for commuting to campus.

UEH Green Campus Calories Stair “Power-Up Steps”

3.2. Working Together to Improve Access to Public Bus Route 45

On 10 November 2025, the UEH Department of Student Affairs published a notice on public bus Route 45 and public transport etiquette following feedback from students and lecturers regarding passenger guidance and service staff attitudes.

UEH met with the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Centre to discuss and address the feedback. The Centre agreed to improve supervision and training for service staff and to work with UEH to explain how to distinguish buses preparing to depart from those waiting at the Nguyen Van Linh campus.

The University also published practical guidance on preparing tickets and student ID cards, queuing, identifying buses and submitting feedback when difficulties arise. These efforts helped reduce information and service-quality barriers, making public bus travel a more accessible option for students.

Source: UEH Department of Student Affairs – Notice on Public Bus Route 45 and Public Transport Etiquette, 10 November 2025.
https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/thong-bao-ve-tuyen-so-bus-so-45-va-van-hoa-su-dung-phuong-tien-cong-cong/

3.3. “One Month Without Petrol” – Sharing Experiences of Changing Transport Modes

On 30 November 2025, the UEH Portal published the article “One Month Without Petrol: How Did I Live Green?”, documenting four weeks in which a group of UEH students chose not to use their usual motorbikes and instead tried alternative ways of travelling.

During the first week, the students faced difficulties finding routes, arranging travel times and walking to public transport stops. By the second and third weeks, they gradually adapted to bus and Metro schedules and multimodal travel. Their new choices also created opportunities for physical activity, more deliberate journey planning and different experiences of the city. By the fourth week, the experience had fostered more positive attitudes towards changing everyday travel habits.

By publishing this account through its official communications channel, UEH highlighted the practical benefits and challenges of public transport and encouraged students to consider sustainable travel options.

3.4. Working Together to Improve Access to Public Bus Route 45

On 10 November 2025, the UEH Department of Student Affairs published a notice on public bus Route 45 and public transport etiquette following feedback from students and lecturers regarding passenger guidance and service staff attitudes.

UEH met with the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Centre to discuss and address the feedback. The Centre agreed to improve supervision and training for service staff and to work with UEH to explain how to distinguish buses preparing to depart from those waiting at the Nguyen Van Linh campus.

The University also published practical guidance on preparing tickets and student ID cards, queuing, identifying buses and submitting feedback when difficulties arise. These efforts helped reduce information and service-quality barriers, making public bus travel a more accessible option for students.

Source: UEH Department of Student Affairs – Notice on Public Bus Route 45 and Public Transport Etiquette, 10 November 2025.
https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/thong-bao-ve-tuyen-so-bus-so-45-va-van-hoa-su-dung-phuong-tien-cong-cong/

Official notice on the website

3.5. Encouraging Public Bus Use through the UEH Green Citizen Initiative

In addition to maintaining the Shuttle Bus service, UEH encouraged students to use public buses through the UEH Green Citizen Initiative. According to information published by the Department of Student Affairs in 2025, public bus journeys were recognised as green actions and could be converted into Green Points for students to accumulate. This mechanism provided an additional incentive to recognise sustainable travel choices in everyday life, linking practical transportation with the development of green living habits among students.

Source: UEH Department of Student Affairs – UEH Encourages Sustainable Transportation: Expanding the Shuttle Bus Service and Strengthening Public Transport Connections, 15 December 2025.
https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/ueh-shuttle-bus/ueh-khuyen-khich-tham-gia-giao-thong-ben-vung-mo-rong-dich-vu-shuttle-bus-va-tang-cuong-ket-noi-giao-thong-cong-cong/

UEH Shuttle Bus

4. Results and Contributions to Sustainable Transportation

In 2025, UEH continued to encourage sustainable transportation through combined operational, financial and behaviour-change measures. The UEH Shuttle Bus service played a central role in providing affordable shared transport linking teaching campuses, dormitories and Ho Chi Minh City’s public transport network.

The expansion of services, integration of the Shuttle Bus with Metro Line 1, continuation of fare subsidies and cooperation to improve the public bus experience demonstrate UEH’s proactive efforts to make sustainable mobility more accessible to students, lecturers and staff. In addition, the Green Pulse and Go Green, Be Seen programmes incorporated green transport choices into practical student challenges and activities.

The 2025 results reflect UEH’s contributions to shared transport services, public transport use and awareness and practice of green mobility across its university community. These practical measures seek to reduce reliance on private vehicles and contribute to SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.