While many bus companies advertise “five star” service on their “luxury” sleeper busses, many firms double their capacity by installing extra seats, making trips miserable for passengers.

Police may have managed to crack down on xe du (unregistered vehicles) over the years, but these overcrowded sleeper busses have managed to “fool” police and road inspectors.

Tuoi Tre detailed the torturous experience:

The two aisles between three rows of sleeper are installed with new beds that can be folded down to ram in more passengers.

On a vehicle marked TL, around 20 passengers were jammed in the two aisles. They even had no space to stretch their legs out.

The beds on the aisles were only removed when authorities came to make periodic checks. The beds are actually a piece of plywood, 40cm wide and covered with leather on the front side.

Although the air-conditioning system was operated on the bus, passengers were still sweating because of overcrowding.

Routine checks have taken place four times this year and of the 414 buses inspected, 174 were fined a total VND258.3 million (US$12,400) for failing to meet standards, said Le Hong Viet, vice head of the inspection unit of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport.

Next time you complain about the obnoxiously loud music or screaming kids on your Phuong Trang bus, remember that things could be worse, much worse.

[Tuoi Tre]