Contract cars disguised as passenger cars are rampant

(Baonghean) - Recently, in Nghe An, there has been a situation where bus companies and transport businesses have taken advantage of loopholes in the law to use contracted vehicles to illegally operate on fixed routes, causing the problem of "illegal buses" and "illegal stations".

Anh Thang bus picks up passengers on the Vinh - Cua Hoi route, Mai Trang market section (Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc). Photo: Van Truong

Illegal contract vehicles are everywhere

In Con Cuong district, there are currently nearly 10 16-seat Ford vehicles with contract vehicle insignia but "disguised" as running on fixed routes (Vinh - Con Cuong). We boarded a Nga Tinh vehicle, license plate 37B - 001.17 right in Con Cuong town to go to Vinh city. Along the way, this vehicle picked up passengers indiscriminately, ready to speed and overtake recklessly to compete for passengers.

According to observations, in Vinh City, there are many 16-seat vehicles from Quynh Luu District, Hoang Mai Town, Tan Ky... that are issued with contract badges and managed by Nghe An Department of Transport. This type of vehicle often weaves through the inner streets of Vinh City to drop off and pick up passengers in violation of regulations, causing many consequences such as loss of traffic safety and security.

Nowadays, there are even sleeper buses "disguised" as contract buses running on fixed routes.

For example, Anh Thang bus company (Anh Thang Import Export Trading and Tourism Company Limited) currently has 7 sleeper buses without routes or registration in Nghe An, only carrying the contract badge issued and managed by the Hanoi Department of Transport, but openly running the fixed routes Vinh - Cua Lo, Vinh - Hanoi. This bus company also openly opened an office on the Vinh - Cua Hoi route, Mai Trang market section (Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district).

In districts along National Highway 7A such as Do Luong, Anh Son, Con Cuong..., there are many sleeper buses with contracted badges issued by the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province, but they run fixed routes, picking up and dropping off passengers in violation of regulations.

Many vehicle owners at Vinh Bus Station were upset, saying: Fixed-route vehicles must comply with all State regulations on route registration, transportation itinerary, and departure time; must pay 10% VAT, pay all types of parking fees, service fees, and pay passenger insurance publicly on the bus ticket.

Disguised passenger vans do not pay value added tax; do not pay parking fees; do not buy insurance for passengers. This behavior clearly demonstrates unfair competition.

Board showing departure times and departure and arrival points of the bus company. Photo: Van Truong

Lack of determination in handling disguised passenger vans?

Learn more to know: The cause of the above outbreak of the problem, first of all, is that the requirements for contract vehicles and tourist vehicles when transporting passengers are too simple, creating loopholes for vehicle owners to circumvent the law. Contract vehicles and tourist vehicles participating in passenger transport only need a transport contract and a passenger list according to the form prescribed in Circular 63/2014/TT-BGTVT to be eligible to go on the road. With such regulations, contract vehicles and tourist vehicles can easily disguise themselves as fixed passenger vehicles, arbitrarily picking up passengers along the way; then, the driver and assistant driver make a list of passengers to deal with the authorities when checking.

Therefore, in recent times, many passenger transport service units have taken advantage of the authorities' lax management and neglect of patrols and controls, racing to bring contract vehicles and tourist vehicles into fixed routes in Nghe An to make a profit.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Head of Transport Management Department, Nghe An Department of Transport, transport enterprises must register full contract conditions according to regulations. The Department will conduct inspections, if it detects contract vehicles running fixed routes, the contract badge will be revoked.

Anh Thang bus company illegally sold tickets to customers. Photo: Van Truong

The activities of contract vehicles disguised as fixed vehicles in the province are chaotic, selling tickets against regulations, going around picking up and dropping off passengers, affecting security and order. The act of taking advantage of and turning contract vehicles into disguised passenger vehicles by some transport businesses also affects the rights of passengers in cases of disguised passenger vehicles or "illegal vehicles" if they encounter traffic accidents./.

Van Truong