TPO – According to regulations, before transporting passengers, “contract vehicles” must negotiate and sign a contract according to the customer group, when carrying out transportation, they only run from point A to fixed point B. However, currently, many passenger vehicles with 29 seats or more or sleeper beds with “contract vehicle” badges in Hanoi stop to pick up and drop off passengers at many points along the road, while also running through the center and collecting money for individual passengers.
Enough tricks to "circumvent the law"
To clarify how contracted bus companies operate, we have bought tickets and boarded buses over the past few days to record the reality.
Specifically, on July 22, after asking the operator, we went to the Hung Long bus office at No. 1, Alley 2, Dinh Thon (Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi) to buy tickets. Here, we said we wanted to go to Ha Tinh and had not booked tickets through the operator. The ticket seller of Hung Long bus at No. 1, Alley 2, Dinh Thon said that there was still a 3 p.m. trip with a ticket price of 300,000 VND. We agreed.
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Hung Long buses stop to pick up and drop off individual passengers on the road at Dinh Thon street, then return self-printed tickets to passengers (small photo). |
After paying in cash, the bus staff issued us tickets. The tickets showed the group code, including name, phone number, and departure date and time. Like us, many passengers said they were individual passengers and not part of a group. Some of them went to Ha Tinh, while others went to Quang Binh.
At around 2:30 p.m., the passenger bus with license plate 29B-609.67, bearing the “Contract Vehicle” badge of Hung Long, a sleeper bus, arrived at the office at No. 1, Alley 2, Dinh Thon to pick up passengers. After the bus company announced, the passengers moved their luggage into the cabin. Next, the passengers boarded the bus, the driver checked and collected the tickets, then directed the passengers to the seats they had purchased.
At 3:10 p.m., bus 29B-609.67 did not move to the southern gate to go to Ha Tinh but continued to move diagonally to the East and travel on the routes of Dinh Thon - Me Tri - Nguyen Trai - Nga Tu So overpass - Tay Son - Chua Boc - Xa Dan - Kim Lien tunnel - Dai Co Viet - Tran Khat Chan. At 338 Tran Khat Chan (Hai Ba Trung district), the bus stopped, here we learned that the bus had moved to the next office of this bus company on Tran Khat Chan street. To move from My Dinh to here, sleeper bus 29B-609.67 ran crosswise from the West to the East and passed through dozens of inner-city streets.
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On Giai Phong Street, there are many bus companies, including Minh Map Bus Company, at 699 Giai Phong, openly hanging its operating sign, picking up and dropping off passengers in the form of inter-provincial buses right on the street. |
At Tran Khat Chan Street, the car stopped to pick up about 10 more passengers, then at 4:10 p.m., the car slowly departed in the direction of Dai Co Viet - Giai Phong - Phap Van. At about 5 p.m., the car arrived at Phap Van - Cau Gie Expressway. During the entire journey from My Dinh to Tran Khat Chan and stopped to pick up passengers, then went out onto the expressway, although operating against the regulations of a contract car, car 29B-609.67 did not encounter any obstacles or be checked by any force.
Notably, at the Vuc Vong intersection (Ha Nam province), the driver left the highway to let a passenger off in the middle of the road. At the same time, the bus also stopped to unload more goods. While the assistant was unloading the goods, the driver continued to go around the area to find and invite the passenger to get on the bus.
Currently, routes in the inner city area (from Ring Road 3 onwards) of Hanoi city prohibit inter-provincial passenger buses from stopping, picking up and dropping off passengers on the road. However, on routes such as Dai Co Viet - Tran Khat Chan, Tran Dai Nghia, Tran Quang Khai, Giai Phong, Pham Hung - Pham Van Dong, Hoang Quoc Viet... recently, we have recorded many offices of bus companies operating in the form of inter-provincial passenger transport.
Particularly on Giai Phong Street, there are offices at house numbers 677, 699, 789. Here, in July, we recorded many vehicles regularly stopping and picking up and dropping off individual passengers here, such as vehicles with license plates: 75B-01997, 29H97503, 24B-00636, 29H-89839, 29H-97503, 29F-03269... On Dai Co Viet - Tran Khat Chan Street, there are offices at house numbers 338, 261, 459; recently, we also recorded many vehicles with contract plates stopping and picking up and dropping off individual passengers here, such as: 29H-93907, 29H-93826, 29B-60950, 29F-01480...
Passenger buses "parade" on streets banned during rush hour
Currently, in the inner city area (from Ring Road 3 onwards), Hanoi city prohibits passenger vehicles, including contract vehicles and tourist vehicles with 35 seats or more, from operating during rush hours (morning from 6am to 9am, afternoon from 4:30pm to 7:30pm). This is the regulation, but most contract vehicles and tourist vehicles with more than 35 seats do not comply, still brazenly operating on prohibited streets and during prohibited hours.
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At office number 338 Tran Khat Chan, Hung Long bus company picks up and drops off passengers on the road day and night. |
Specifically, from 8:30 to 9:00 on July 29, we recorded that on only about 100 meters of Tran Nhan Tong Street in front of the Central Circus, there were more than 10 contract vehicles with more than 35 seats parked right on the street. At the gate of Thong Nhat Park alone, these vehicles were lined up in 4 parallel rows and stretched for tens of meters, causing traffic congestion. Among the vehicles lined up in 4 long rows were vehicles with license plates: 29B-51258, 29B51575, 29F-018790...
In other areas, at 8:32 a.m. on July 17, a passenger car with the sign "Contract Vehicle" with license plate 29H-928.56 was traveling on Nguyen Trai Street in the direction of Nga Tu So. At 7:22 a.m. on July 18, a 45-seat passenger car with license plate 29B-160.90 was traveling on Nguyen Trai Street in the direction of Nga Tu So. At 7:48 a.m. on July 18, a 45-seat car with license plate 29B-61778 was traveling on Nguyen Trai Street. At the same time, a contract car with license plate 29B-411.56 was operating on this route.
At around 4:35 p.m. on July 18, a 32-bed contract bus (45 seats) of Quang Luyen bus company with license plate 74B-002.49 stopped in the area opposite 19 Tran Dai Nghia to receive goods. Not far away, a 45-seat bus with license plate 29B-123.01 stopped in the area in front of Vietinbank building, Tran Khat Chan street.
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Many contract vehicles stopped right on Tran Nhan Tong street during rush hour yesterday. |
Along Tran Quang Khai Street, all kinds of contract vehicles are bustling regardless of the time. At around 5:00 p.m. on July 18, we walked around this area and saw many 45-seat contract vehicles operating and moving. For example, vehicles with license plates 29B.18500; 29B- 12493. Or contract vehicles stopping to receive goods such as 75B-01947 29F-01618; 29B- 60068, 29H-90841..
Even in many old streets, contracted vehicles openly operate during rush hour. For example, at around 5:16 p.m., at the Opera House, contracted vehicle with license plate 29B-19982 stopped next to the Opera House, while vehicle with license plate 14G-002.48 stopped to wait for passengers.
Also on this route, passenger bus BKS 29B-123.01 moves past the Opera House - Ly Thai To; passenger bus BKS 29B405.79 of Hai Van bus company moves on Ly Thai To street; passenger bus BKS 29B-074.85, a 45-seat vehicle moves on Ngo Quyen street. At 5:31 p.m., contract bus BKS 29G-02083 moves on Tran Quang Khai street...
In particular, the evening is the busiest time for contracted vehicles. At 9:46 p.m. on July 17, at 388 Tran Khat Chan, passenger bus with license plate 29H-99330 of Hung Long bus company stopped to pick up passengers. As soon as this bus left, it was the turn of passenger bus with license plate 29H-93826 of the same bus company to pick up passengers. At Tran Quang Khai street, at 9:55 p.m., passenger bus with license plate 29F-00254 picked up passengers...
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