HCMC airport set to make steep hike in fees for taxis

Tan Son Nhat International Airport will collect a fee of VND9,100 (US$0.38) from all taxis entering it from April 1.

Besides, TCP Vietnam Investment, which operates the parking lot at the airport, has said it will terminate the monthly contracts with taxis for renting space and instead switch to a fee to enter the terminal building.

They will have to pay a fee of VND5,000 or 15,000 each time, depending on where they choose to pick up passengers, with the higher fee applicable for the lane closest to the terminal.

The two new fees are on top of the airport entry fee of VND10,000.

With the change in fees, a taxi entering the airport will have to pay a total of VND24,100 or VND34,100.

The HCMC Taxi Association said the new fees would cost taxi operators much more than now, and as a result operators would reduce the number of taxis they send to the airport, which would drive fares up.

A Vinasun spokesperson said the company currently spends VND12 million (US$507) a month for seven slots in the lot.

“Vinasun taxis enter the airport 2,000 times a day on average, and if the company has to pay the new fee, it will have to spend VND300-900 million a month.”

TCP said by letting taxi companies rent space on a monthly basis it is unable to control the number of vehicles entering and leaving the lot and then going into the lanes in front of the terminal, which leads to disorder.

It said the changes are meant only to manage traffic in the airport.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport is the country’s busiest with an average of 60,000-70,000 passengers a day.

The domestic terminal has six lanes for buses and cars.

Lane A, closest to the terminal, is only for dropping off passengers and lane B is for private cars.

The other four are for taxis and ride-hailing cars to pick up passengers.