The problem of illegal taxis needs to be dealt with severely.
(Baonghean.vn) -Recently, despite the authorities' vigorous efforts, the phenomenon of illegal taxis and makeshift bus stops in Vinh City still persists and operates in many disguised forms. Particularly concerning is the issue of illegal taxis driving around picking up and dropping off passengers in unauthorized locations, causing traffic safety disruptions and picking up passengers along the way, creating all sorts of inconvenience for passengers.
In early June, my friend had to go on a business trip to Hanoi. Because he was in a hurry, he didn't go to the bus station but caught a bus along the way. He boarded a bus with license plate 37B.00073 on the Vinh – Hanoi route. Before getting on, my friend asked the bus conductor: "Does your bus go to My Dinh bus station?" As the conductor pulled my friend onto the bus, he said: "Our bus goes all the way to My Dinh bus station. If you don't believe me, pay when we get there!"
Unlicensed taxis pick up passengers along Le Loi Street in Vinh City.
However, after traveling a short distance, the bus conductor came to collect the fare. Around 10:00 AM, the bus stopped in Ninh Binh city. The conductor announced, "Please get off the bus to go back to Hanoi." Everyone was bewildered. A few people questioned it. Ignoring them, the conductor urged the passengers, "Don't worry, this is our bus." My friend reluctantly followed everyone else and transferred his luggage to bus 35B-002.04. When the bus reached the Phap Van expressway, bus 35B-002.04 sold all the passengers to another bus owner. A journey that wasn't long, only about 300km, was "sold" twice, leaving all the passengers exhausted and, especially, feeling cheated, which made everyone very upset.
The phenomenon of unlicensed buses driving around to pick up and drop off passengers along the road is currently a serious problem. On main roads such as Le Loi, Mai Hac De, Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Du, Tran Phu, Phan Dinh Phung, etc., it is easy to see many buses driving around, competing with each other to pick up passengers. Some bus assistants even lean out of the main door to wave and solicit customers, causing obstruction and posing a traffic safety hazard for other road users.
In Vinh City, there are currently two main bus stations: Vinh Bus Station and Vinh Market Bus Station, both managed by Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company. These stations operate 700 buses belonging to cooperatives and private enterprises registered to provide bus services. These buses depart from the stations on time and according to schedule, with tickets sold at the company's listed prices. However, due to fluctuating passenger numbers, some buses depart from the stations but do not have enough passengers, so they stop to pick up passengers in unauthorized locations, or even drive around the city aimlessly to find more passengers. In addition, hundreds of unlicensed buses operate passenger transport services without participating in the designated bus station system. These buses often depart 5-10 minutes after the buses registered with Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company to compete for and attract passengers.
Because there are no passengers from the bus station, these unlicensed buses speed, overtake recklessly, cut off other buses, and race against those departing from the station to compete for passengers. If they gather enough passengers, these buses will go straight to their final destination; if not, they will leave the province and resell passengers to other buses to pocket the 20% fare difference.
Mr. Vu Hoang Huynh, Head of Vinh Bus Station, said: "Many passengers have a habit of boarding buses along the road instead of buying tickets at the station, thus contributing to the fraudulent behavior of unlicensed bus operators. This phenomenon is most common among passengers traveling on long-distance routes. Many bus operators lure passengers by offering lower fares than those purchased at the station. Some even trick passengers into believing that the ticket price includes lunch and dinner, but in reality, passengers are resold multiple times along the way, and sometimes other bus operators demand extra money, making it impossible to cover the cost of lunch and dinner."
Besides the operation of unlicensed intercity passenger vehicles, some passenger buses exploit contract permits to pick up passengers along the way on routes such as Dung, Con Cuong, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, etc. Alternatively, they disguise themselves as long-distance passenger buses, gathering passengers along the way and then consolidating them into one vehicle before departure. Along the way, if inspected, the vehicle owner will present the "contract permit" to deceive law enforcement.
Mr. Vo Minh Duc, Chief of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee Office, stated: Currently, many unlicensed taxis are operating in disguised forms. Because they are not fixed in one location and do not depart at fixed times, it is very difficult for authorities to inspect and handle them. In particular, some unlicensed drivers lack experience, speeding, reckless overtaking, and cutting off other vehicles are among the causes of traffic accidents today.
On the other hand, according to Decree 152 (on administrative penalties in the field of road traffic) recently issued, the administrative fine of only 200,000 VND for picking up and dropping off passengers in violation of regulations and not impounding the vehicle is too lenient, leading many to continue violating the rules.
In my opinion, to contribute to ensuring traffic safety and order in the area, in addition to increasing penalties for violations, authorities need to tighten control over illegal taxis and makeshift bus stops. At the same time, cooperatives and businesses managing these services should equip drivers with hotlines, and require drivers to wear name tags so that when customers have complaints, they can call the authorities for investigation and handling. Furthermore, passengers should abandon the habit of hailing taxis along the road and instead buy tickets at bus stations to ensure their rights and avoid being scammed along the way.
Vo Huyen
