Hanoi Taxi Association has made protests over much of the content in the city's plan to tighten control over taxi operations by 2015.
Taxi companies request to be considered public transport
Do Quoc Binh, Chairman of Hanoi Taxi Association, said with 114 companies and 17,000 vehicles, the taxi association has transported 100 million passengers, contributed hundreds of billion of tax and provided 30,000 jobs. " If there were no taxis, the streets would have to deal with about 150,000 more vehicles, causing congestion and pollution." he said. While taxi companies receive no preferential treatment, Hanoi buses received nearly VND1.1 trillion (USD52.7 million) in subsidies in 2011.
However, the local Department of Transport blamed taxis for adding to the city's traffic problem.
Binh said, "The the lack of controls over the increase in number of cars and motorbikes is at fault for congestion. Taxis should not be blamed, this is unfounded and may cause trouble for taxis companies. If taxi fees increase, the number of personal vehicles will also go up."
The taxi association claimed that the moratorium on the licensing of taxi companies is a move in the right direction, but may violate the Law on Enterprises.
Many others policies in the proposal were under fire from the association. The taxi companies said that installing automated receipt systems is not feasible and unnecessary because most customers do not require bills. They claimed that it had been tried, but proved ineffective, especially for shorter commutes. For longer commutes the driver is required to hand a VAT bill.
Binh added that taxis should be considered as a form of public transport, and their operation areas should not be restricted. "This is a form of public transport that is at the request of the customers. Restricting areas will only cause unfair monopolies."
He also said that requiring all taxis to be painted the same colours will cause problems for both companies and customers, who will find it harder to make complaints for bad service.
Association says taxis do not add to congestion
