The opening statements of a dispute between Vietnam’s top taxi firm Vinasun and the Malaysia-based ride-hailing firm Grab were heard by the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday. Vinasun is trying to sue GrabTaxi Vietnam for “unhealthy competition” and dumping its service on the domestic market to drive out local competitors. One of the most convincing charges the company has put forward is that GrabTaxi Vietnam ran promotions for more than 90 days in a single year, which is against the law. “This has caused losses to Vietnamese taxi firms, including Vinasun,” the plaintiff said. The company said it has submitted documents, photos and videos to the court to prove that Grab has violated the law by dumping its service on the local market. Vinasun is looking for VND42 billion ($1.84 million) in compensation, calculated by the profit loss it claims to have suffered due to Grab in 2016 and 2017. However, a legal representative for Grab said the suit filed by Vinasun is groundless because the company has failed to show how it has calculated its alleged losses. Grab said it has been operating since 2016 on a trial basis approved by the Ministry of Transport. Together with Grab, nine other companies are currently operating ride hailing businesses in Vietnam, so if Vinasun wants compensation it should file a suit against the Ministry of Transport, the representative said. “The matter does not come within the jurisdiction of this court; it lies with state management agencies,” the… [Read full story]
Vietnam’s biggest taxi company Vinasun said it lost 2,000 drivers during the third quarter of this year after 8,000 quit their jobs in the first half due to harsh competition from foreign ride-hailing firms. Its revenue in the first nine months reached only 58 percent of this year's target while its net profit in the third quarter dropped 50 percent over the same period last year to VND47 billion ($2 million). Vinasun has set a revenue target of more than VND4.25 trillion ($187.3 million) and gross profit goal of VND205 billion for this year, down 10.6 percent and 34 percent respectively against…... [read more]
A representative from Tan Hoang Minh Taxi on July 24 said that from 23 - 7, this company has officially applied its new fares for over 50 taxis. Accordingly, for four-seat taxis, the new fare is 8,200 dong per kilometre for the first 20 kilometres, an increase of 1,900 dong per kilometre. Each kilometre of its seven-seat taxis saw an increase of VND 1,900 from VND 6,600. Van Xuan Taxi has also raised fares by 2,000 dong per kilometre and its customers have to pay bridge and ferry tolls, if any. Mai Linh Taxi has also increased fares from July…... [read more]
Two of the biggest taxi companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Mai Linh and Vinasun, have announced a hike in fares by VND500-1,000 on every kilometer, on account of the recent increase in the price of petrol. Mai Linh Taxi Company will hike fares by VND800-1,000 a kilometer from today, August 16. Nguyen Do Phuong, a representative of the company, said the company is forced to hike fares because petrol price has moved up three times since July 20, now touching VND2,400 a liter, an increase of 11.6 percent. To accommodate fare hike each time, the company has to reconfigure…... [read more]
An AP story on Yahoo News about a Vietnamese taxi driver who returned bag with $26,500 to a passenger has attracted the special attention of many foreign readers. According to AP, a forgetful employee left a bag with about $26,500 and important documents in the back seat of a taxi of the Cuu Long Petro Gas Service Transportation JSC in HCM City last week. The passenger called the cab company after he realized the bag was missing. The 23-year-old driver, Doan Thanh Xuan, heard the radio call and returned the bag unopened. He was given a $100 reward from the…... [read more]
GrabTaxi has become a popular cab-hailing app in Vietnam. Photo: T.Luan Many taxi companies in Hanoi have ordered their drivers to stop picking up passengers via GrabTaxi, a cab-booking mobile application that has gained popularity in Southeast Asia in recent years. News website Saigon Times Online reported on Wednesday that the companies are worried about losing their own brand values if passengers keep using the booking service that does not let them choose any particular cab companies. The passengers do not care which company is serving them and they identify all the taxis collectively as GrabTaxi. Some "dubious" drivers in…... [read more]
