2 taxi firms involved in fare scams suspended from operating at Ho Chi Minh City airport

Saigon Taxi Transport Company (Cheap Taxi) and Saigontourist Transport Corporation (Saigontourist Taxi) were forced to suspend taxi services at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City after their drivers were found to have committed taxi fare scams, according to a statement issued by the airport’s management authority on Wednesday.

A representative of the airport told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the airport held an urgent meeting on the taxi fare scams with the relevant administrative units.

Nguyen Nam Tien, deputy director of the airport, presided over the meeting, which also saw the attendance of representatives of Cheap Taxi, Saigontourist Taxi, the Southern Airports Authority, Tan Son Nhat International Airport police, and other relevant airport agencies.

Cheap Taxi is a brand of Sai Gon Transportation Group Corporation, which had been earlier suspended from dispatching taxis to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs.

The airport’s management authority said taxi fare scams committed by Cheap Taxi and Saigontourist Taxi have badly affected the airport’s prestige, image, and brand.

As a result, the airport has prohibited the two firms from operating at Tan Son Nhat until their violations have been dealt with.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court had received major Vietnamese hospitality and tourism service provider Saigontourist Group’s lawsuit against Saigontourist Transport Corporation for allegedly using the former’s exclusive trademark unlawfully.

Tuoi Tre previously ran an exposé on taxi fare scams at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City involving drivers of Saigontourist Transport Corporation.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport later asked its road transport management division and inspectors to inspect transportation services at the airport and deal with any violations.

These forces coordinated with police and security officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport to launch an inspection and found that several taxi drivers had overcharged customers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport by up to 10 times the firms’ service prices.

The municipal Department of Transport then asked the two taxi operators to cease dispatching taxis to the airport for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs and fined them VND11 million (US$468.4) each.

Two drivers from the taxi services who were found to have inflated fares had their driver’s licenses temporarily revoked and faced fines of VND700,000 ($30) each.

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