Although Ho Chi Minh City authorities continuously inspect, tighten, and impose penalties, illegal bus and bus stations still exist in the city.
How to put an end to the situation of illegal buses and how to bring the buses to the right stations to operate, ensuring the city's traffic is smooth, safe, and reasonable is an issue of public concern.
Hoa Mai bus company picked up and dropped off passengers at the wrong place, causing chaos in the center of Ho Chi Minh City.
Causing disorder, potential tax evasion
In reality, the fact that bus companies openly pick up and drop off passengers or illegally set up stations on routes in Ho Chi Minh City is causing many consequences and negative impacts on society.
Responding to VTC News, Mr. Tran Van Phuong, Deputy Director of Mien Tay Bus Station, said that the problem of illegal buses and bus stations affects the security and order of Ho Chi Minh City, the State budget and the bus station's revenue.
These are all serious issues that need to be considered and resolved clearly and thoroughly to ensure traffic order and safety for Ho Chi Minh City.
Despite being "sweeped" by authorities, bus companies still openly operate and set up new parking lots.
According to the Deputy Director of Mien Tay Bus Station, there are three types of passenger transport: fixed-route buses, contract buses and tourist buses. Fixed-route buses must depart from two terminals, one in the province and one in Ho Chi Minh City. At the same time, the bus company must pick up and drop off passengers at the two above stations.
In case the bus company sells tickets in the inner city, the passengers must be transported to the bus station before being transported. However, currently, some types of passenger transport with contract badges go into the inner city to pick up and drop off passengers directly.
"This is a form of law evasion and unfair competition between transport units, especially fixed-route transport. Besides, it affects the security and traffic order of the city.
At the same time, it affects the budget when bus companies collect money directly from passengers on fixed routes instead of issuing tickets and paying value added tax.
According to Mr. Do Phu Dat, Deputy General Director of the Eastern Bus Station, "illegal buses and bus stations" cause the bus station's revenue to decrease, affect security and order, cause loss of urban beauty, and especially pose a risk of tax evasion.
Illegal buses and stations not only affect security and order, but also have the potential to evade taxes.
Mr. Dat said that the current situation of "illegal buses and stations" is complicated.
"The places they rent to deliver goods are in accordance with the law. However, these units also integrate this location to pick up and drop off passengers, which is illegal. As for how to handle it, we must strengthen inspection, check and coordinate with relevant units to strictly handle it," said Mr. Dat.
How to get the car to the right parking lot?
Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said that the problem of "illegal buses and stations" exists in many localities across the country. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are major traffic hubs and transport routes, and the travel demand of passengers is high, creating the "feeling" that illegal buses and stations are operating more busily.
According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, to resolve this situation and bring vehicles to the right parking lots, state management agencies must simultaneously implement many measures.
Specifically, according to the law, passenger transport business is a conditional business. Therefore, state agencies must regularly inspect, control and ensure that only individuals and units that have registered their business are allowed to operate.
According to Mr. Quyen, the inspection and control aims to prevent transit vehicles, shared vehicles, and family vehicles from operating for the wrong purposes.
The new Eastern Bus Station has only a few dozen buses departing each day.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association stated that for vehicles on the road, there are now means and equipment to monitor road transport activities such as journey monitoring devices and cameras. Any vehicle operating in the transport business is required to install a journey monitoring device, any vehicle that is not installed is operating illegally.
For vehicles equipped with journey monitoring devices, authorities need to upgrade the data integration center so that the control unit can have an overview of the vehicle's operations on the road and promptly handle violations.
" Regarding the organization of the transport control work of the State management agency, it is necessary to further strengthen the monitoring system and the data recording equipment to process promptly, " said the Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association.
Individual customers were transformed by the bus company into tourist contract passengers of Huy Hoang bus company running the route from Ba Ria - Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City.
Regarding bus station planning, according to Mr. Quyen, this is also one of the reasons leading to the appearance of "illegal buses and stations".
Accordingly, many localities moved bus stations from the inner city to far from the city center, leading to inconvenience in connecting bus companies with the travel needs of passengers.
“The passenger journey is divided into 2-3 sections. This is the reason why illegal buses and stations have been established, when bus operators arrange for passengers to come to convenient pick-up locations instead of going inside the bus station.”
The Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association stated that currently, passenger transport business is operating under a market mechanism under State management.
Therefore, according to Mr. Quyen, management work must also be researched based on market demand to find a way to harmoniously resolve the management requirements for traffic safety and order with the requirements to ensure convenience in travel, speed, and savings for passengers.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Transport Association assessed that the law clearly states that passenger transport vehicles on fixed routes must enter the station to operate. Contractual transport vehicles are only allowed to pick up passengers at the contract location (the starting point stated in the contract) or at 1-2 additional points according to the contract stated on the passenger's itinerary.
Inside the new Eastern Bus Station, there are few passengers.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Transport Association emphasized that the management of contract vehicles needs to be studied with more specific and practical regulations.
“Contract vehicles must clearly state the first pick-up point and the route. The pick-up route must be carried out within the prescribed framework, avoiding driving around in the inner city streets, leading to traffic congestion and urban disorder.”
Regarding the current situation of contract vehicles and disguised tourist vehicles collecting money but not issuing tickets to passengers, Mr. Quyen affirmed that passenger transport businesses are violating the law.
“A contract means that the group of passengers traveling together on the same trip are under one contract and that contract is a contract to rent the entire trip. In particular, the contract must have party A and party B, along with a contract list clearly stating the date and time of contract implementation. At the same time, the contract data and passenger list must be transferred to the traffic management agency, the Department of Transport and the General Department of Roads of Vietnam. Any carrier that fails to comply is in violation,” said the Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association.
According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, when the issues are clearly and thoroughly resolved and the interests of passengers are put first, then the matter of bringing the bus companies to the right stations and operating in accordance with the law can be implemented.
Series of illegal parking lots in Thu Duc City
The leader of the People's Committee of Phu Huu Ward (Thu Duc City) admitted that in the area, there are large car companies such as Kumho, Nam Hai, Tam Hanh, Ha Phuong (Hanh Café) operating passenger transportation, causing disorder in traffic safety.
In early November 2023, the local government reported to the People's Committee of Thu Duc City on the contents related to the operation of the parking lot as well as the illegal pick-up and drop-off of passengers by bus companies along Lien Phuong Street (in Phu Huu Ward) and the difficulties in handling these parking lots.
Specifically, Tam Hanh bus company (Thu Duc Branch - Tam Hanh Travel Company Limited) rented 1086.67m2 of urban land from Ms. NTNH as a parking lot; KumHo bus company rented 1181.0m2 of urban land from Mr. HMP; Ha Phuong bus company (Hanh Café) rented 922.2m2 of urban land from Mr. D.VT; Nam Hai bus company rented 672.0m2 of urban land from Ms. TTH.
The leader of Phu Huu Ward People's Committee added that the above bus companies have used the land for business of parking lots and warehouses for the wrong purposes, violating urban order in Phu Huu Ward. Therefore, the local government has reported to Thu Duc City People's Committee and is waiting for instructions from Thu Duc City People's Committee.
Although the authorities check and issue fines, the problem of illegal buses and stations still exists here.
Luong Y
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