The reason why taxis are 'difficult to treat' overcharging and cheating on fares at Tan Son Nhat airport

On June 26, Deputy Chief Traffic Inspector Dam Phan Phat signed a document to send to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport reporting the results of inspection and handling of violations related to taxis.

Accordingly, on June 19, the Department of Transport Inspectorate coordinated with the Police Station and Tan Son Nhat Airport Security to inspect and discovered two taxi drivers cheating on fares when transporting passengers.

In particular, taxi with license plate 51F-595.26 belonging to Saigon Tourist Transport Joint Stock Company, driven by driver Nguyen TM, installed an auxiliary switch under the gear lever. The driver committed fare fraud (the actual fare was 54,000 VND but charged the customer 540,000 VND, 10 times more) after manipulating the auxiliary switch, causing the fare to be incorrect.

Taxi BKS 60E-00734 of Saigon Cheap (Cheap Taxi) company belonging to Saigon Taxi Transport Company Limited - Binh Thuan branch, driven by Mr. Tran QT was also found by the working group to have committed similar violations. The Department of Transport Inspectorate fined the two cases a total of 11 million VND and revoked their taxi badge for 2 months.

Taxi driver installs auxiliary switch under gear lever to cheat passenger fare at Tan Son Nhat airport

Regarding the incident, the Traffic Inspectorate (TTGT) reported that it will coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology to deploy inspection and handling of violations according to the prescribed authority for Saigon Tourist Transport Joint Stock Company (using the trademark " Saigontourist ").

Regarding Saigon Taxi Transport Company Limited - Binh Thuan branch (using the brand name "Cheap Taxi"), the Inspectorate recommends that the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport send a document to the Binh Thuan Province Department of Transport to conduct inspection and handle violations according to the prescribed authority.

According to the City Department of Transport Inspectorate, public opinion often reflects the situation of taxis squeezing passengers, charging more than the regulated fare, but handling it is still difficult because it requires catching them red-handed or reporting them, but when the inspection force arrives, the taxi driver has already gone elsewhere.

"Moreover, drivers of these types of vehicles have many tricks and methods to hide and deal with inspection forces. Meanwhile, the authority of the Department of Transport Inspectorate is limited when it is not allowed to stop vehicles. The unit is only allowed to stop, inspect, and handle vehicles that show signs of violating traffic regulations and check additional contents related to the conditions of passenger transport business by taxi and handle violations if there are violations," the Inspectorate of the City Department of Transport stated.

Saigontourist brand taxi is one of two brands that have just been banned from operating at Tan Son Nhat airport for fare fraud.

Regarding the case of intentionally installing interference devices on fare meters, the Department Inspectorate said that it does not have the expertise to determine the violation.

To improve the effectiveness of managing passenger transport by taxi, this unit recommends that the HCM City Department of Transport soon issue a document requesting owners of passenger transport businesses by taxi to take deterrent and corrective measures such as stopping, parking, and picking up passengers in violation of regulations; counterfeiting brands, overcharging passengers, etc.

The Department Inspector also requested that when granting taxi badges, passenger transport businesses by taxi must sign a commitment to strictly comply with the provisions of the law.

Recommend that the Department of Transport issue a document requesting Tan Son Nhat International Airport to commit to complying with the provisions of the law when signing contracts with passenger transport businesses by taxi.

This afternoon (June 26), Tan Son Nhat International Airport also sent a dispatch to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport and the Southern Airports Authority announcing the temporary suspension of operations at the Airport for two violating units, Saigon Taxi Transport Company Limited and Saigon Tourist Transport Joint Stock Company.

The Port has requested all passenger transport business units at the Port to strictly comply with contract regulations and rectify the operations of employees at the Port.

The Port requests state functional units such as the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, Southern Airports Authority, and Tan Son Nhat International Airport Police Station to support the Port in strengthening the management of transportation activities at the Port, especially in resolving the situation of price fraud, price gouging, soliciting customers, illegal vehicles, etc.

Tan Son Nhat Airport Management Board has just decided to temporarily suspend the operations of two taxi companies whose drivers used auxiliary switches to increase fares 10 times higher than the actual fare.

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