HCMC – Ride-hailing firm Grab Vietnam has proposed the management of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC reserve a separate lane for ride-hailing vehicles at a cost of no more than VND10,000 per service to make life easier for drivers and passengers.
According to Grab, drivers now have to access the third, fourth or fifth floor of the TCP parking lot, which is opposite the airport’s domestic passenger terminal to pick up customers, the local media reported.
At present, the airport’s domestic passenger terminal has four lanes — A, B, C and D, of which, lane A is used for drop-offs, lanes B and C for personal vehicle pick-ups and lane D for taxis.
Ride-hailing vehicles, such as GrabCar and BeCar, are not allowed on these four lanes.
In addition, ride-hailing drivers have to pay VND25,000 to pick up passengers, instead of the previous VND10,000.
With Grab’s proposal, the separate lane will be used by all ride-hailing vehicles. Drivers will pay VND10,000 each time they pick up passengers and the airport entry/exit fee.
Grab will arrange staff to regulate pick-ups and drop-offs and cooperate with the airport’s management board to ensure order at the airport.
Pham Vu Cuong, deputy director of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, said the airport has yet to approve Grab’s proposal, as it is unsuitable. At present, lanes at the airport are overloaded, so the arrangement of a separate lane for ride-hailing vehicles will make the airport disorderly.
The proposal is unreasonable as HCMC has never had separate lanes for ride-hailing vehicles.
The airport will create conditions for ride-hailing drivers to pick up passengers at the lane for taxis but they must sign concession contracts with drivers such as taxi firms and arrange staff to ensure order and control service prices.
The airport has submitted a plan to the competent agencies to open a new lane E parallel to lane D and is awaiting approval.
To facilitate passengers, prior to February 1, two more elevators with a capacity of 22 people each will be installed at the TCP parking lot, raising the total number of elevators at the parking lot to four. The parking lot’s management board will arrange more employees and provide more chairs for passengers to sit on while waiting for ride-hailing vehicles.
The HCMC Department of Transport has suggested increasing the number of buses operating inside the airport, and the Southern Airports Authority will arrange buses at lanes B and C.
The airport has also received proposals to build pedestrian bridges and tunnels in front of the domestic passenger terminal to reduce traffic congestion.
