Coach companies are calling for changes to a new decree which tightens regulations related to the collection and dropping off of passengers, claiming it has inconvenienced enterprises and passengers alike.

The Ministry of Transport’s decree, which took effect on August 8, stipulated that transport enterprises are only allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at departure and destination points of the trip, regardless of passenger requests.

Those found violating the regulations would be fined between VND300,000-500,000 (US$15-26).

The decree intended to control the current chaos related to coach and bus transport activities, which had contributed to traffic congestion and had endangered road users.

Director of Hung Thanh Transport Co Ltd Hoang The Manh said the decree was impractical as there were often only a few passengers at many designated departure points.

Manh said his company’s coaches would have to end the operation of the Dien Bien-Ha Noi and Lai Chau-Ha Noi routes in the near future as only two or three passengers were present at designated departure points.

Director of Khanh Thinh Transport Joint Stock Company Luong Van Thuong said most residential areas were located along the coach routes, and the decree forced passengers to walk to the coach stations, which were often dozens of kilometres from their houses instead of being able to be collected just outside their homes.

Chairman of the Viet Nam Automobile Transportation Association Nguyen Manh Hung said the flexibility over being able to pick passengers up at any point en route was an advantage that coach services provided. The decree would prompt customers to choose a faster and more convenient means of transport such as planes or trains.

Moreover, Hung said, nearly 500 newly-established bus stops along the country would represent a huge waste of money if they remained unused.

Coaches running the Ha Noi-HCM City route according to the new decree would no longer be allowed to pick up more passengers when passing through Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Khanh Hoa and Binh Dinh, he said.

Director of the ministry’s Transport Department Tran Ngoc Thanh denied that the decree was entirely impractical, but suggested that coach companies should be able to register pick-up stops at coach stations located along the route, and that such an amendment would help the implementation of the decree.

Police would, under the decree, target coaches illegally parking and picking up passengers, coach operators said.

Deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Department Nguyen Van Quyen said the department would report business opinions to the ministry and ask them to consider amendments.

Source: Viet Nam News