Ministry rejects proposal for tuk tuk use in Hanoi

The Transport Ministry has officially turned down the Hanoi Transport Association’s proposal to import and use tuk tuks as a solution to limit the use of personal vehicles and ease congestion.

>> Hanoi says tuk tuks not in traffic policy
>> Tuk tuks proposed for use in Hanoi

The ministry appreciated the association’s efforts in contributing to improving the capital’s traffic image, but such a proposal is not in accordance with prevailing regulations, said Nguyen Van Luu, chief of the Ministry’s Secretariat.

Lambro, a means of public transport that is similar to tuk tuks, was once used in Vietnam, but this kind of vehicle was stopped from use according to Government Resolution 38/2008 on urgent solutions to reduce traffic accidents and congestion, since such vehicles have exposed weaknesses and do not meet requirements for urban traffic development, Luu said.

Commenting on the fact that tuk tuks are used in other countries like Thailand and India, the official said that this kind of transport has long been used in those countries, all of which have different traffic characteristics from Vietnam.

However, such countries have now gradually restricted the use of tuk tuks for the sake of traffic safety, environmental protection, and urban aesthetics, Luu said.

“For the sake of sustainable development of urban traffic, it is a must to promote the use of buses as a public transport means, to develop urban railway systems, and to build metro lines. They are solutions that are being applied in all countries, including Vietnam,” Luu concluded.

In talking with Tuoi Tre Wednesday, Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of Hanoi Transport Department, said, “The city authorities are listening to all suggestions from individuals and organizations about what to do to ease traffic jams. The proposal for use of tuk tuks is just an idea of the Hanoi Transport Association. The city authorities have no policy to use such vehicles as a solution to limit the use of personal vehicles or mitigate congestion.”