Electric tourist cars in the center of Ho Chi Minh City gradually attract customers, young people are excited to experience

Các bạn trẻ hào hứng trải nghiệm xe điện, một loại hình giao thông công cộng — Young people are excited to experience electric cars, a completely new form of "green" public transport in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NGOC QUY

On the morning of April 19, Tuoi Tre Online recorded a round of District 1 where many young people were looking for prices, asking tram staff for directions, prices, and destinations... to book a ride.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Quan (24 years old, living in District 5), who has just experienced the electric car, said that this is an interesting and new model. When using it, passengers can see the space of Ho Chi Minh City, some tourist attractions... On the car, the driver and attendants wearing traditional Ao Ba Ba continuously explain the destination to the passengers.

“At first, I was quite worried about safety, but after experiencing it, I found that the operator had installed glass and equipped it with all the safety features for passengers to travel around. My family of 5 went on a city tour for about 120,000 VND, which was reasonable,” said Mr. Quan.

Ms. Tran Do Uyen Nhi (22 years old, living in Da Lat, Lam Dong) - thinks that this is a new model, a means of transport that can replace taxis and service cars for tourists in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Especially for tourists traveling short distances, going sightseeing around, tourist electric cars help reduce costs. After a period of operation, Ho Chi Minh City can re-evaluate the effectiveness and adjust the price to suit many subjects. Currently, it is suitable for groups of friends and families traveling together.

Some other passengers also suggested that the units could research and calculate some more points for the four-wheeled electric vehicles to access. Priority should be given to connecting historical sites, cultural destinations, etc.

In addition, the price of a four-wheeled electric vehicle is currently calculated by the hour or by the trip. But the rental price for individual customers by the hour or trip is a bit high.

Answering passengers' questions, driver Tran Minh Phuong (26 years old, living in Binh Thanh district) shared that electric cars mainly serve visitors and tourists traveling in groups of 5-7 people, with a reasonable price of 60,000 VND for a trip, and 120,000 VND/30 minutes for an hourly rental.

Moreover, this type of tram to visit the city also encourages traveling in groups of tourists to experience.

“When traveling with a group of 7 people, renting a half hour to visit the city, on average each person only spends more than 17,000 VND. And going from the pick-up point to other points in the inner city districts only costs more than 8,000 VND per person,” Mr. Phuong shared.

On the afternoon of April 19, speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , a representative of Saigon Public Transport Company Limited (Saigon PT) said that the company wants to bring convenient electric car travel services to residents and tourists. The electric cars are designed to ensure safety, suitable for tourists to travel and feel the attraction of Ho Chi Minh City.

In recent days, the number of passengers has gradually stabilized, foreign tourists are excited. During the Hung King's death anniversary alone, the unit served 94 trips with nearly 380 passengers participating.

How much does the tourist electric car cost?

Electric four-wheeled vehicles transport visitors and tourists in Ho Chi Minh City including districts 1, 4, 5 and 6.

The operating range of electric vehicles on routes is limited by points and routes in the inner city. Passengers rent electric vehicles by trip or by hour. Specifically, the hourly rental price is 120,000 VND/30 minutes during the day (before 6:00 p.m.), 250,000 VND/30 minutes at night (after 6:00 p.m.). The service fee for every 10 minutes is 40,000 VND during the day and 80,000 VND at night.

For customers who rent a trip within the permitted operating area, the fare from one pick-up point to another is 60,000 VND/trip (daytime) and 120,000 VND/trip (nighttime). In addition, customers can negotiate with the driver for each trip, by hour and day depending on the travel route.