Hanoi (VNA) - Many road usershave raised their voices about a Hanoi ban prohibiting the use of taxis -including Grab and Uber - from using 13 inner-city streets. They claim it willdo nothing to reduce the city’s traffic congestion.

The Department of Transport issued the banon paid passenger cars during peak times in a bid to solve severe traffic chaosin those streets.

The ban took effect nearly a week ago.Accordingly, hire cars are not allowed into Hoang Hoa Tham, Mai Xuan Thuong, GiangVo, Lang Ha, Le Van Luong, Truong Chinh, Kham Thien, Hang Bai, Phu Doan, CauGiay, Xuan Thuy, Giai Phong and Chuong Duong Bridge from 6am to 9am and from4.30pm to 7.30pm.

Warning signs have already been installedin those streets.

However, many drivers say the ban will notonly fail to reduce the gridlock, but it likely to cause more trouble fordrivers.

A Grab taxi driver called Hung said thatmost Grab and Uber drivers only worked part-time and used their cars as theirown means of transport. Thus, it would be difficult for police to discover justwho was a violator.

When approached by police, drivers turn offtheir "apps", or ask customers to walk through the banned areas orpretend to be the drivers’ relatives. This would free them from paying fines.

Hung said the ban would force all vehiclesto take alternative routes, making journeys unnecessarily longer and eventurning these "safe" routes into new gridlock areas.

 AUber taxi driver said the ban caused a little inconvenience for drivers pickingup passengers, but there were many ways of avoiding being caught by authorisedagencies.

He said he ignored the ban and still pickedup or dropped off passengers in recent days.

“We only know the destination of passengerswhen we accept their trip. We can’t keep cancelling all trips through bannedstreets,” he said.

However, he added that he had not seen anyviolators being stopped and fined in the past several days.

Tran Van My, a Mai Linh taxi driver, saidthat he supported the ban if police could ensure all paid passenger cars werebanned from those streets.

“Uber and Grab are not different from us.They carry passengers and contribute to traffic congestion. But they can freelypick up and drop passengers in the taxi banned areas.

“If the ban stops just taxis because we areeasy targets, this is totally unfair,” he said.

Bui Danh Lien, acting vice-chairman of the HanoiTransport Association, told the newspaper Lao Dong (Labour) that the ban forcars with fewer than nine seats on certain routes was made by the cityauthority’s management.

The association said the ban was missingthe root of the problem. The basis of gridlocked streets is all about the bigincrease in vehicles and inadequate and ill-quality infrastructure, he said.

Vu Van Vien, director of the city’sDepartment of Transport, said that the move was intended to reduce traffic jamsand environmental pollution - and had been approved by the city’s People’sCouncil.

Vien admitted that the ban could causeinconvenience for passengers who used transport services from Uber and Grab,but still said it would help reduce gridlock.

Police will stop and remind violatingdrivers until the ban take full effect.

Vien said the ban was not permanent, addingthat it would be removed from routes where traffic jams were overcome andapplied to streets where congestion was getting worse.

Vien also said it was important to be ableto identify cars operating under transport contracts. The Ministry of Transporthas worked on a draft decree, which stipulates that cars from Grab and Ubermust display company logos on their front and back windows. This would helppolice tell the difference, he said. - VNA