The number of taxies in Saigon reached more than 10,700 by the end of October 2009, nearly 13 percent more than planed for 2015.

According to HCM City’s transportation 2020 development plan, the total number of taxis will be 9500 between 2010-2015 but at this moment, the real number far exceeds this figure.

The HCM City Department of Transportation on November 17 had an urgent meeting with the local taxi association to find a solution. Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the Transportation Department, confirmed that taxi planning is necessary to control traffic jams.

“We will report to the People’s Committee the need for long-term solutions, not just restricting by temporarily banning new taxi companies,” Thanh emphasized.

HCM City Taxi Association’s chairman Ta Long Hy said that the policy to curb taxies will surely hit taxi firms so he asked the city to have a specific guidelines.

According to latest reports from the HCM City Department of Transportation sent to the HCM City people’s Committee, the city had 35 taxi firms by the end of October 2009. The total taxis was over 10,700 by that time, 14 percent year on year.

VietNamNet/VNE