Hanoi taxi project reveals multitude of deficiencies

The municipal People’s Committee has approved spending VND780 million ($39,000) to draw up a taxi management project in the city for the period 2010-15 with a vision to 2030.

The project will evaluate the current situation and forecast transport demand for taxis in the capital.

The city’s Transport Department which was assigned to implement the project will collaborate with police to take measures to control and limit the number of taxis.

The project would also provide solutions to manage the activities including human resources and policies and conduct a feasibility assessment.

Deputy head of the Municipal Transport Department’s Inspectorate Hoang Van Manh said they had carried out an investigation into 15 taxi firms in the city.

Manh said the department has discovered over 1,200 taxis had violated traffic law, temporarily impounding 77 cars and issuing VND500 million ($25,000) in fines.

“Violations were commonly involving illegal parking, people fraudulantly pretending to be official taxis, fare fixing and drivers being below 21 years of age,” he said.

He added some businesses had removed their badges and used magnets to cheat on their meters.

The department’s deputy director Nguyen Hoang Linh said some businesses continued to use poor quality taxis and had not paid enough attention to services and investment, resulting in ineffective operations.

Linh said the problem was partly due to a boom of taxi firms in the city.

“It was also a reason for traffic jam at rush hours,” he said.

He added the city now has 107 firms operating in the sector with over 10,000 taxis and 12,500 drivers. Around 60 per cent of the drivers came from other provinces.

The department was asked to complete the project in the first quarter of next year. – VNS

Tags: Hanoi taxi