Ho Chi Minh City student wins iPhone 17 after taking 300 bus rides a month

Another student won the second phone in a lucky draw under a Ho Chi Minh City public transport promotion.

The Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center on Friday presented two iPhone 17s and eight shopping vouchers to students on Friday in recognition of their frequent use of public buses and to encourage passengers to register their identities when traveling by bus.

The program aims to encourage students to register their identities when using public buses and develop the habit of using public transport for their daily commute to school and other activities.

Le Hoan, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center under the municipal Department of Construction, said the city had introduced free bus fares on July 1.

The program has since recorded positive results, with more than 45.3 million passenger trips, up around 44 percent from 2025.

Since October 1, the city has also introduced identity verification for bus passengers. Around 86 percent of passengers have used the available verification methods on buses, he said.

Regarding efforts to promote public bus services and encourage people to use them, Hoan said the center had regularly worked with sponsors on social initiatives since the beginning of the year and organized four passenger appreciation programs.

He emphasized that these measures are aimed at putting passengers at the center of public services.

The public transport sector will continue listening to passenger feedback, improving service quality, upgrading vehicles and enhancing service standards to better meet travel demand.

Tran Thanh Luong, a student at University of Transport Ho Chi Minh City, said he was delighted and surprised to become the student with the highest number of eligible bus trips, earning an iPhone 17.

Besides using a motorbike and other means of transport, Luong regularly takes buses to travel to school, work and conduct field surveys for his graduation project assessing public passenger transport service quality.

During his research, he has traveled on various bus routes, surveyed bus stops and shelters, and identified areas lacking stops to propose additional ones based on residents' travel needs.

Luong said he takes around 300 bus trips a month, mainly on routes 88, 89, 13, 70, 34, 93 and 110. On some days, his survey journeys cover 100-200km.

"Taking the bus not only helps save money but also contributes to environmental protection, reduces the number of private vehicles and eases traffic congestion," he said.

Meanwhile, Le Quy, a student at VOV Broadcasting College II, won the second iPhone 17 through a lucky draw.

Quy said he had taken around 201 bus trips during the month. Having learned about the program in advance, he made an effort to use buses regularly to secure a place among the top 10 students eligible for recognition.

Under the program's rules, the 10 students with the highest numbers of eligible bus trips recorded through the city's identity verification system during October would qualify for the awards.

The student with the most bus trips would receive an iPhone 17 directly, while the other nine would enter a lucky draw to select the recipient of the second iPhone 17.

Additional prizes included two first prizes worth VND2 million (US$78) each, two second prizes worth VND1.5 million ($58) each and four third prizes worth VND1 million ($39) each.

To ensure that students who participated seriously and complied with the rules received their rightful awards, the organizers extracted, reviewed and cross-checked data from the GoAFC automated fare collection system.

The program will continue with a second round under the same format, offering more eligible passengers opportunities to win gifts.