Experts have proposed that Hanoi should not encourage taxi development in the time to come but foster public transport instead.

Taxi in a quality test

Vice President of Hanoi People’s Committee, Nguyen Van Khoi, had a working session on the topic on April 18.

An official from the Hanoi Department of Transportation said taxis in Hanoi could be considered as both public and private means of transport, and while taxis could not be as effective as buses or a metro, they were more useful than private cars and used more frequently.

However, taxi services should not be encouraged to expand. Support for other forms of public transport including buses, trams and rail networks were more important in the long run.

According to data released by the Department, there will be 21,000 taxis operating in the city with 10,000 alone in city centre in 2015; that number will increased to 26,000 with 12,500 taxis running in city centre by 2020.

A draft policy with seven measures has been compiled to regulate the ten thousand taxis currently operating in the city centre. Zoning, a single switchboard to control taxis, additional regulation of taxi enterprises, and the painting of all taxis in one livery is under consideration.

According to this draft, taxi will be restricted from operating in the city centre in the period from 2012 to 2015. This policy will be carried out together with a range of solutions, including a moratorium on new taxi enterprises, a freeze on taxi numbers, extra fees to operate taxis in the city centre with funding to be diverted to traffic infrastructure and new tenders for taxi services in the inner city.

Newly registered taxi will be painted in one colour and equipped with a meter which can automatically print receipts in a single system across all taxi enterprises. Taxis running in Hanoi will have to be re-painted according to their operation zones after 2015, and taxis operating on airport routes will have a different colour. Different enterprises will have to use different logos.

The draft also zones for taxi operation, taxis operating on the city’s outskirts will not be able to pick up fares in the city centre.

Colonel Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Chief of Traffic Police Division, under Hanoi Department of Public Security suggested, “We should zone taxi operations and invite tenders for exploiting taxi services in each zone, so the quality of taxi service can be improved, and traffic congestion be reduced.”

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee, Nguyen Van Khoi said, “We should reassess taxi operations to realise weak points among taxi enterprises then adopt new measures and solutions which suit the actual situation. We may pilot taxi-ranks so taxis can only take or drop off passengers there. The Government also needs to join in to help regulate taxis in accordance with its traffic development projects.”