Decision No. 13/2015/QD-TTg On mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of public passenger transport by bus

Pursuant to …;

On mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of public passenger transport by bustransport of passengers by public bus services

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

According to Decree No. 60/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2003 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of the State Budget Law;

On the basis of Decree No. 86/2012/NĐ-CP dated October 19, 2012, issued by the Government detailing and guiding implementation of certain provisions of the Metrology Law;

Pursuant to the Law on Rational Energy Use and Efficiency dated June 17, 2010;

Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law on June 23, 2014;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 35/NQ-CP dated March 18, 2013 of the Government on urgent issues in the field of environmental protection;

At the proposal of the Minister of Transport,

The Prime Minister promulgates this Decision on mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of public passenger transport by bus.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Decision stipulates mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of public passenger transport by bus.

Article 2. Applicability

This Decision applies to organizations and individuals related to investment, management, operation, and use of public passenger transport services by bus throughout the country.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

In this Decision, the following terms shall be understood as follows:

1. Public passenger transport by bus is the activity of transporting passengers along fixed routes using buses with designated pick-up and drop-off points and vehicles operating according to a schedule.

2. Infrastructure system for public passenger transport by bus includes facilities serving the operation of public passenger transport by bus, including: dedicated bus lanes; terminal stations; intermediate stops; signs; waiting shelters; transfer points; bus parking lots; dispatching stations; maintenance stations; energy supply stations for buses.

3. Means of public passenger transport by bus include clean-energy buses and conventional buses.

4. Conventional buses are buses that only use gasoline or diesel fuel.

5. Clean-energy buses are buses that use liquefied natural gas, natural gas, or electricity instead of gasoline or diesel fuel.

Article 4. Mechanisms and policies regarding planning, investment, and development of infrastructure systems

1. Prioritize sufficient budget allocation from the State budget for the preparation, adjustment, and implementation of planning for public passenger transport by bus, with indicators including: share of public passenger transport, land fund, connectivity solutions with other modes of transport, proportion of clean-energy vehicles, proportion of vehicles meeting traffic access technical standards.

2. Prioritize access to preferential loan sources: official development assistance (ODA) loans, preferential credit for investment in infrastructure serving public passenger transport by bus.

3. Provincial People's Committees shall provide interest rate subsidies for loans from credit institutions for projects investing in infrastructure serving public passenger transport by bus based on local resources.

Article 5. Mechanisms and policies to encourage investment in means of transport

1. Exempt import duties on spare parts and components not yet produced domestically for the production and assembly of means of public passenger transport by bus.

2. Exempt registration fee for clean-energy buses used in public passenger transport by bus.

3. Provincial People's Committees shall provide interest rate subsidies for loans from credit institutions for projects investing in means of public passenger transport by bus based on local resources.

Article 6. Mechanism and policies to support bus public passenger transport operations

1. Provincial People's Committees shall base on local resources to subsidize or cover costs for public passenger transport services using buses.

2. Prioritize building a model of Bus Public Passenger Transport Management Center to monitor and manage the quality of bus services at localities.

Article 7. Mechanism and policies for fare subsidies for users of public passenger transport services

Provincial People's Committees shall base on local resources to subsidize users of public passenger transport services using buses as follows:

1. Exempt fares for children under six years old, severely disabled persons, and extremely severely disabled persons.

2. Reduce fares for persons who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution, elderly people, and Vietnamese students and pupils.

Article 8. Conditions for applying preferential policies in the field of public passenger transport

1. Business organizations providing public passenger transport services using buses that need to apply preferential policies as prescribed in Articles 4 and 5 of this Decision must meet the following conditions:

a) Ensuring current regulations in public passenger transport business using buses;

b) Investment projects for vehicles and infrastructure serving public passenger transport using buses must be approved by competent authorities.

2. In cases where multiple support policies from different programs and projects overlap during the same period, beneficiaries may choose to apply the most beneficial policy.

Article 9. Implementation Organization

1. The Ministry of Transport

a) Take the lead in compiling, inspecting, and reviewing the implementation of national planning for the development of public passenger transport, and coordinate with and guide provincial and municipal people's committees to establish planning for the development of public passenger transport networks;

b) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology to develop criteria for identifying types of clean energy vehicles participating in public passenger transport using buses as a basis for exemption from initial registration fees; research and apply modern technology in managing and operating public bus transportation systems;

c) Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to issue a list of spare parts and components for producing and assembling domestic public passenger transport buses as a basis for determining imported spare parts, components, machinery, and equipment not yet produced domestically to be exempted from import tax;

d) Coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the National Traffic Safety Committee in information and communication work to encourage citizens to use public passenger transport services using buses;

e) Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and provincial and municipal people's committees to review annual budgets to balance funds for developing public passenger transport using buses;

f) Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to inspect and audit the enforcement of laws on land and environmental protection in the field of public passenger transport using buses;

2. Ministry of Finance

a) Take the lead in issuing Circulars guiding the exemption of import tax on spare parts and components for producing and assembling public passenger transport buses not yet produced domestically;

b) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to guide the exemption of initial registration fees for public passenger transport buses;

c) Take the lead and coordinate with the State Bank of Vietnam to guide the implementation of interest rate support for loans from credit institutions for investment projects in vehicles and infrastructure serving public passenger transport using buses.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment

a) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and provincial and municipal people's committees to review annual budgets to balance funds for developing public passenger transport using buses;

b) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to issue a list of spare parts and components for producing and assembling domestic public passenger transport buses already produced as a basis for determining imported spare parts, components, machinery, and equipment not yet produced domestically to be exempted from import tax.

4. The Ministry of Industry and Trade

Coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to issue a list of spare parts and components for producing and assembling domestic public passenger transport buses already produced as a basis for determining imported spare parts, components, machinery, and equipment not yet produced domestically to be exempted from import tax.

5. Ministry of Science and Technology

Coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to develop criteria for identifying types of public passenger transport buses using clean energy as a basis for exemption from initial registration fees; research and apply modern technology in managing and operating public bus transportation systems.

6. The Ministry of Education and Training

Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Transport, and the National Traffic Safety Committee in information and communication work to encourage students and pupils to use public passenger transport services using buses.

7. The Ministry of Information and Communications

Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Transport, and the National Traffic Safety Committee in information and communication work to encourage citizens to use public passenger transport services using buses.

8. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to inspect and audit the enforcement of laws on land and environmental protection in the field of public passenger transport using buses.

9. The National Traffic Safety Committee

a) Annually, develop plans to allocate funds for information and communication activities aimed at encouraging citizens to use public passenger transport services using buses;

b) Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Information and Communications in information and communication activities to encourage citizens to use public passenger transport services by bus.

10. The State Bank of Vietnam

Coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport to guide the implementation of interest rate subsidies for loans at credit institutions for projects investing in means and infrastructure serving public passenger transport by bus.

11. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities

a) Implement the approved planning for the development of public passenger transport by bus correctly; allocate sufficient land for the construction and development of infrastructure serving public passenger transport by bus;

b) Call on economic sectors to participate in investment in the development of public passenger transport by bus;

c) Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Transport to balance the annual budget for the development of public passenger transport by bus;

d) Issue specific levels of interest rate subsidies for loans at credit institutions for investments in means and infrastructure serving public passenger transport by bus and levels of fare subsidies for users within their jurisdiction;

đ) Allocate local budget funds in the annual plan to support part or all of the fees and service charges in the operation of public passenger transport by bus.

Article 10. Effective Date

This Decision takes effect from July 1, 2015.

Article 11. Responsibility for Implementation

THE MINISTERS, HEADS OF GOVERNMENT-LEVEL MINISTRIES, HEADS OF GOVERNMENT-LEVEL AGENCIES, AND CHAIRMEN OF PROVINCE AND CITY PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES DIRECTLY UNDER THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING THIS DECISION./.