Overloaded sleeper bus fined nearly $3,700 on Vietnam expressway

A representative of Highway Traffic Patrol Team No. 6, under the Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security, said the violation was detected during a routine inspection of commercial transport vehicles on Friday.

At around 3:50 pm, traffic police stopped a sleeper bus driven by N.V.V., 52, who resides in Ninh Binh Province, northern Vietnam.

The bus was operating on the Cam Lam-Vinh Hao Expressway section passing through Khanh Hoa Province.

Upon inspection, officers found the vehicle was carrying 47 passengers, despite being licensed to transport only 34.

This meant the bus was overloaded by 13 passengers, a serious safety violation, especially on a high-speed expressway.

Traffic police immediately issued a violation report for carrying more passengers than permitted.

As per prevailing regulations, the driver is fined VND1.5 million ($57) for each excess passenger, resulting in a total fine of VND19.5 million ($740).

The bus owner faces a much steeper penalty. Authorities imposed a fine of VND6 million ($228) per excess passenger, totaling VND78 million ($2,955).

The total financial penalty amounts to VND97.5 million.

After issuing the fines, traffic police required the transport company to arrange another vehicle to carry the 13 excess passengers so they could continue their journey safely and in compliance with regulations.

Police officials said the inspection was part of a broader campaign to tighten enforcement against violations by passenger transport vehicles, particularly during peak travel periods at the end of the year.

Overloading buses not only violates the law but also significantly increases the risk of traffic accidents, especially on expressways where vehicles travel at high speeds.

The 78.5-kilometer Cam Lam-Vinh Hao Expressway, a key section of Vietnam’s north-south expressway network, was opened to traffic in April last year, linking Khanh Hoa with Lam Dong Province.