Taxis from Saigon Tourist Company at Tan Son Nhat Airport.
An inspection team from the HCM City Transport Department co-operated with police at Tan Son Nhat Airport to carry out a check at some taxis operating at the airport on June 19.
The inspectors found that a taxi vehicle from Saigon Tourist Transport Corporation had two auxiliary switches installed under the gear stick. The driver Nguyen Trung Minh was asked to run from the airport’s international terminal to Tran Quoc Hoan Street and back. The two-kilometre trip should have produced a VND54,000 fare, but when the driver activated the fixed meter it resulted in 10-fold increase to VND540,000.
Two auxiliary switches are installed under the gear stick to cheat customers
Checking another taxi operated by Saigon Taxi Transportation Corporation, inspectors also discovered the same fraudulent meter. The driver enabled the cheating each time they shifted gear, triggering a VND 3,000 increase.
The driver was also asked to run from the airport’s international terminal to Tran Quoc Hoan Street and back, which produced a VND420,000 fare.
The two drivers were given a fine of VND 11.70 million and were banned from operating as taxis for two months.
Tan Son Nhat Airport is the country's biggest airport serving an average of between 60,000-70,000 arrivals per day. Many passengers have complained about being cheated or overcharged by taxi companies operating at the airport.
