Heart-stopping scene: 73 people crammed into a 22-seater bus during Tet holiday; driver fined a huge amount.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, a series of overloaded passenger buses have been exposed: some 22-seat buses were carrying up to 73 people, exceeding the regulations by 3.5 times. Traffic police have imposed fines totaling hundreds of millions of dong, warning of the risk of particularly serious incidents.

During the peak period leading up to the Lunar New Year, the issue of passenger buses carrying more people than permitted continues to be a complex problem in many localities. On February 14th (the 27th day of the 12th lunar month), a representative from the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) reported that nationwide traffic police forces had handled 117 cases of passenger buses violating regulations on the number of passengers, including cases where the number of passengers exceeded the permitted limit by 3.5 times.

According to records from the Traffic Police Department, at approximately 0:24 AM on the same day, a task force from the Traffic Police Department of Phu Tho province stopped and inspected a passenger bus with license plate 26B-XXX.23 driven by Vu Anh T. (born in 1988, residing in Tuyen Quang).

Upon inspection, authorities determined that the vehicle was carrying 73 people, while its design and registration only permitted a maximum of 22 passengers. This means the vehicle was carrying more than three times the permitted capacity, posing a serious traffic safety risk, especially given the high volume of traffic during the Lunar New Year season.

In addition to violations regarding passenger numbers, the task force also discovered vehicles carrying goods exceeding the permitted dimensions, malfunctioning vehicle tracking devices, and vehicles lacking the required passenger transport business permits. These are all considered high-risk violations that directly affect the ability to control vehicles and manage transportation operations.

After issuing a citation, the Traffic Police Department of Phu Tho province fined driver Vu Anh T. a total of 80.8 million VND and deducted 4 points from his driver's license. The vehicle owner was also fined 198 million VND for a series of serious violations.

A few minutes earlier, at around 0:30 AM on the same day, another task force from the Traffic Police Department of Phu Tho province discovered another case of a passenger bus carrying more people than permitted. Specifically, the vehicle with license plate 24F-XXX.08, driven by Khong Nhu H. (born in 1988, residing in Tuyen Quang), was carrying 66 people in a 36-seat vehicle.

In addition to the violation of carrying more passengers than permitted, this vehicle also had a malfunctioning vehicle tracking device. This is a mandatory device used to monitor speed, driving time, and travel route, contributing to safety and assisting authorities in management.

For the aforementioned violations, driver Khong Nhu H. was fined 65 million VND and had 4 points deducted from his driver's license. The vehicle owner involved in this incident was also fined 162 million VND according to regulations.

Representatives from the Traffic Police Department emphasized that the act of driving passenger buses carrying more people than permitted is a direct or indirect cause of increased risk of vehicle loss of control, rollovers, and traffic collisions, which can lead to particularly serious consequences. In the context of increased travel demand during the year-end period, deliberately cramming passengers not only violates the law but also puts the lives of many people at risk.

The traffic police force stated that they will continue to strengthen patrols and inspections, and strictly handle violations, especially those involving carrying too many passengers, operating without proper transport permits, and failing to meet technical safety standards.