Vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Bui Xuan Cuong has tasked the city’s traffic safety committee with working with relevant agencies to seek solutions to resume service for 70 electric vehicles used for tourist transportation.

In a recent directive regarding public transportation, the official emphasized the need to tackle the challenge facing the operation of four-wheeled electric vehicles used for transporting tourists.

The traffic safety committee, in collaboration with the municipal Department of Transport, the Department of Tourism, police, and other related units, has been instructed to urgently review and evaluate the operation of these vehicles.

A representative from Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigon Public Transport Co. Ltd., the operator of these electric tourist vehicles, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the firm had temporarily suspended the operation of 70 electric four-wheelers used to transport tourists.

Additionally, the company has also canceled previously-booked tours in order to comply with the new regulations.

The firm launched a fleet of 70 electric vehicles to transport residents and tourists around the heart of the city for sightseeing on April 12, 2024.

However, the electric sightseeing car service was put on hold due to a recent regulation under Decree 165/2024.

As per the government’s Decree 165, effective from February 15, four-wheeled electric vehicles are only permitted to operate on roads with official speed limit signs of 30kph.

Ho Chi Minh City does not have speed limit signs below 40kph, except in specific areas that pose particular safety risks, such as the A branch of Cat Lai Overpass, Saigon River Tunnel, and a few construction zones.

The municipal Department of Transport explained that when implementing road traffic laws, including the Road Traffic Safety Law and other relevant legal documents, certain challenges have arisen.

For instance, the issue of identifying roads with speed limits of 30kph for passenger vehicles and 50kph for cargo vehicles presents a particular challenge.

In Ho Chi Minh City, most roads outside residential areas are designed for all types of vehicles, making it difficult to apply these new restrictions without affecting the flow of regular traffic, such as passenger buses and cargo trucks.

Similarly, the administration of Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands region on February 12 approved the suspension of electric tourist vehicles operating in Da Lat City, following a proposal from the provincial Department of Transport.

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