Taxis that calculate fares via apps like Grab would be required to place a lightbox with the words “Electronic Taxi” on their car, while contract-based cars that drive for Grab and similar companies would need a lightbox that says “Electronic Contract-based Vehicle” under a proposal by the Ministry of Transport.

The proposal of the ministry, which is seeking feedback from agencies, is included in a draft amendment to a government decree that regulates auto transport services, reports Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper..

The proposal requires a clear distinction between taxis using apps and contract-based cars. None of the cars would be called “taxis with under nine seats”.

Traditional taxi operators that use apps to inform passengers of trip fares, instead of only by taxi metre, would have to put a permanent lightbox that says “Electronic Taxi” on their car.

For contract-based cars that work by contract for Grab or similar companies, they would have to put “Contract-based Vehicle” on their car, or if they use apps, “Electronic Contract-based Vehicle”.

The apps used to connect passengers and the taxi company must be registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Ministry of Transport said that with the proliferation of app-based taxi companies, it is necessary to have effective management tools to ensure business transparency.

In addition to Grab, other popular car-hailing applications include Emddi and Vato, among others.

About eight conventional taxi companies have their own apps now. They include V.Car, Thanh Cong Car, Vic. Car, HomeCar, Mai Linh Car, LB. Car, and Emddi-Phuc Xuyen. – VNS