VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Transport’s inspectors on December 20 suspended the operation of the Petrolimex and Festival taxi firms at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.


Thach Nhu Sy, vice chief inspector of the Ministry of Transport, said that inspectors detected a lot of violations committed by Petrolimex. This firm has nearly 200 cars but it did not well control the vehicles as drivers. Some cars have different colors of paints compared to what the firm registered with the HCM City Department of Transport. Notably, in 2011 alone, Petrolimex cabs were reported to break the rule for 76 times at the airport. Once, a Petrolimex driver fought with a foreign passenger and once its driver collected high fares.

Festival Taxi also lost control over its vehicles and drivers. All 91 drivers did not have employment contracts with the firm. Many drivers collected high fares. This firm also broke the rules 37 times at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Inspectors imposed VND7.5 million ($370) on each firm and suspended their cabs from operating at Tan Son Nhat Airport. The HCM City Department of Transport will continue solving the cases.

In addition, inspectors from the Ministry of Transport suspended 75 out of 181 cars of Saigon Tourist Taxi at the airport and through the city because this firm sold its name to another taxi firm.

Earlier, two taxi firms in HCM City and six in Hanoi had been suspended in the Ministry of Transport’s campaign to clean up taxi operations in the two largest cities of Vietnam.

Son Tung