Airport taxis must carry certificates

      In a move to improve the chaotic taxi situation at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, drivers will have to carry a certificate proving they meet operation requirements.
The regulation, to come into force next month, followed continued taxi violations at the airport, said Terminal Utilisation Company director Phan Le Hoan.
A certificate would be granted to qualified taxi drivers by the municipal transport department and the airport terminal company.
"The certificate will be based on several criteria," Hoan said, "including that drivers prove they have passed a driving training course."
Any taxi driver who sat the course would know how to treat passengers in the correct manner and how to help passengers, he said.
"The regulation also helps us define the exact number of taxis operating at the airport for better management. At present we only know the number of taxi firms allowed to operate at the airport."
Any driver who violated regulations twice would be forbidden from operating at the airport.
Any taxi firm with more than five driver violations in a month would be banned from operating at the airport for a month.
In late February, transport inspectors picked up about 170 taxis violations at the airport, yet the situation remained chaotic even after the inspections were carried out.
Most common violations were failure to park at regulated places and not turning on the taxi meter.
Son Phi Ho, head of the security guard group of the airport’s domestic terminal, said it was difficult to encourage taxis to pick up passengers at regulated places when customers persisted in waiting at unregulated places.
Airport security office head Nguyen Minh Tuan agreed. Raising public awareness and educating taxi drivers were equally important, he said.
"Also, taxi firm owners need to create a habit for their drivers to start the meter when their passengers get in."