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Foreign tourists denounce taxi driver for overcharging
  • | PetroTimes, dtinews | March 22, 2014 08:50 AM
 >>  Taxi driver apologises after swindling tourists

Three foreign visitors have denounced a taxi driver in Hanoi for overcharging them for a short-distance in the city.

The map shows that the road section that the three foreign travellers took is less than one kilometre 

Bui Ngoc Tan, an official from the Hanoi Department of Transport, said that on March 19, the three travellers caught a Hong Minh taxi to go from Hang Dao to Ma May Street, a trip of one kilometre and the driver charged them VND245,000 (USD11.6).

The passengers immediately took a photo of the license plate and the driver. They then asked a staff member of a nearby hotel to report the case to the hotline for the municiapal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. After investigating, the taxi driver was detained.

At the police station, the driver, Hoang Trieu Quy, admitted to overcharging and repaid the tourists.

The investigation also showed that the driver had falsely used the brand of Hong Minh Taxi. He was also cited for a number other violations, such as driving without a license and altering the taxi meter.

He may be fined up to VND10 million, and his car impounded for between one week and one month. He would also have his driving license revoked for two months.

In a similar case, a female taxi driver in Hanoi last month charged USD50 for a three-kilometre trip in Hanoi and was forced to apologise and return the money to two foreign tourists.

These customers were also able to take a photo of the license plate and went to the customer service board of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

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