Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport is considering requesting Grab or other ride-hailing cars to put on top signs, publicly declaring that they are ‘electronic contract-based’ vehicles, just like conventional taxicabs are required to carry their taxi roof lights.

The proposal, which the transport ministry is seeking feedback from relevant agencies, is included in a draft amendment to a government decree that regulates automobile transportation services.

According to the proposal, app-based cars are allowed to join conventional taxicabs to offer automobile transportation services.

Traditional taxi operators are also allowed to use technology to calculate fares, instead of only by the taximeters.

This means there will be two types of tech-based taxi services: conventional taxi firms with a fare-calculating app, and private cars of ride-hailing apps such as Grab.

The transport ministry therefore suggests that ride-hailing cars put on roof lights to let customers know what types of services they provide.

Conventional taxis that allow booking via apps or software should put on the “Electronic taxi” roof sign, whereas vehicles driving for Grab or other apps should use signs that say they are “Electronic-contract based cars”.

The draft decree, if passed, is expected to contribute to transportation business’ security and transparency.

Apart from Grab, there are several other car-hailing applications in Vietnam, such as Emddi and Vato.

In addition, eight traditional taxi companies also launched their own software such as V.Car, Thanh Cong Car, Vic.Car, HomeCar, Mai Linh Car, LB.Car, Emddi-Phuc Xuyen.

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