The Hanoi Transport Association’s proposal on using tuk tuks (three-wheelers) to restrict the use of motorbikes in downtown areas of Hanoi faces strong opposition from some local experts.
According to the association allowing these vehicles to run on inter-commune and inter-district roads would help transport passengers to and from bus stops. This would help to limit the number of motorbikes from suburban areas coming into the city, Lien said.
To date, no statistics on the number of motorbike drivers travelling from suburban areas into the inner-city have been released nor has research been conducted to show that motorbikes are the major cause of traffic jams in the inter-city areas.
Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Toan, Head of the Road Faculty from the Hanoi University of Transport and Communications said, “Currently, passengers are banned from heavy and bulky luggage on buses, therefore, many of them choose motorbikes due to their flexibility. Meanwhile, tuk tuks are intended to pick up passengers between bus stops so they will face difficulties transporting luggage. In this aspect, tuk tuks can’t be as useful as a Xe om (motorbike).”
Many people are also worried that using tuk tuks may encourage the operations of home-made three and four-wheel vehicles.
Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, a former expert in the Ministry of Transport, also disagreed with the association’s recommendation on importing and using tuk tuks.
“Tuk tuks can transport passengers and goods, and they’re particularly suitable for rural areas. Nevertheless, the import and use of this kind of vehicle blatantly goes against management agency efforts to prohibit home-made three and four-wheel vehicles in recent years,” he noted.
The number of motorbikes from suburban areas into the inner-city areas is not big enough to account for recorded traffic accidents. In reality, the reduction in motorbike usage needs a long-term roadmap, Dr. Thuy said, emphasising that, “The association’s proposal is heavy on the business aspect, but doesn’t help to deal with the traffic problems.”
If tuk tuks were introduced, Vietnam could quite easily produce domestic models, ruling out any need to import the vehicles.
Meanwhile, Bui Danh Lien, Chairman of the Hanoi Transport Association, said the proposal was not contrary to the efforts to ban home-made vehicles. He clarified that current home-made vehicles had safety and pollution issues. They were also not tightly controlled enough, which had led to traffic violations. However, if the Ministry of Transport and the Hanoi People’s Committee agreed on the tuk tuk recommendation, tuk tuks would be imported and they would meet quality requirements.
“A tuk tuk costs around VND50-60 million (USD2,380-2,857). Transport fares are VND3,000-10,000 per trip, which suits rural residents,” Lien added.