Vietnam tackles taxi blight

Four taxi companies in HCMC have installed new meters that print receipts for passengers in a move to end complaints that the city’s cab drivers cheat.
The four taxi companies that agreed to install special meters are: Vantaidulich 27-7; Savico; Mien Dong; and Mai Linh.
According to local news reports, the Standard, Measurement and Quality Control Authority under the city’s Department of Science and Technology was the supplier and main driving force behind installing meters with printouts.
The scheme will be expanded to other firms after an evaluation.
Several taxi companies have also equipped their cabs with a data recorder, also known as black boxes.
HCMC taxi drivers are very similar to Bangkok taxi drivers in the way they treat customers, preferring to demand inflated fares without any regard for the use of meters.
The receipt shows the length of journey, flag down cost and subsequently the cost per km. It identifies clearly the cab driver, so a passenger who leaves belongings in a cab can quickly tell the company the identity, cab number and time the cab was used.
Mai Linh Taxi chairman, Ho Huy, said it should help to cope with complaints, prevent tax evasion and improve the performance of drivers and the service they provide their customers.
The regulation, which was part of the draft decree on transport issued by the Ministry of Transport, stipulates that installation must be completed by this July.
Authorities are tightening up on taxi regulations and demanding complete compliance in sharp contrast to Thailand where taxi drivers are renowned for ignoring regulations, failure to use meters and are surly or even aggressive towards foreign tourists.
Many of them refuse to pick up travellers from the Middle East in a racist and prejudice gesture. They are immune to complaints and police take no action even when they are witness to a taxi driver refusing to use the meter when hailed.
Vietnam’s top transport authorities are now monitoring taxis and People Committees have been required to identify and colour code taxis that are operating in their districts.
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reported earlier that illegal taxis were one of the main reasons for the decline in visitors to the country.
“Taxi drivers are ripping off tourists as soon as they arrive at the airport and this gives visitors a bad impression of the country from the very start of their trip,” a VNAT official explained earlier in the year.
VNAT admitted there was not much back-up data on illegal taxis and their impact on travel arrivals, but there were enough comments from visitors on blogs and social media to identify that it was a major problem that needed urgent attention.

Sourced: ttrweekly