In Vietnam, the shorter the distance gets, the more belligerent cabbies become An angry taxi driver (L) and a frightened passenger are depicted in this cartoon. Tuoi Tre Passengers flagging down a taxi at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City should expect to be scolded by the cabbies if they are to travel a short distance. In other cases, the drivers will beg, or blatantly ask, for a premium instead of the amount showed on the meter, saying a short drive is not enough to help them cover expenses. A Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondent last month took taxis operated by different firms for short drives from the airport, and in no case did he step out a cab without having to pay extra money or receiving complaints from the driver.   On January 28, the reporter asked a Hoang Long taxi to drive him from the airport to Huynh Lan Khanh Street. After learning that the destination is only 2km away, the driver angrily talked with the customer in short and frank sentences. The taximeter showed VND32,000 (US$1.49) when the cab stopped and the driver asked for the airport entrance fee, which was VND10,000. Seeing the driver apparently getting mad about the small fare, the customer apologized but the cabbie suddenly swore and shouted, “F..k! I waited at the airport for three hours for this journey and now you pay me only a few dozen dong.” The Tuoi Tre correspondent then traveled the same distance with a Saigon Tourist taxi, and too was treated with anger and displeasure by the cabbie. Meanwhile, a Savico taxi driver had another trick when asked to drive for a short distance by the same Tuoi Tre reporter. He first suggested the customer pay VND150,000 ($7) for the ride instead of using the taximeter, but the request was rejected. The cabbie then took busy traffic as an excuse to turn into many different roads before reaching the destination, and ended up charging the reporter VND100,000 ($4.66) for the ride that normally costs VND60,000 ($2.8). Other drivers would not express any anger or use the dishonest driving trick. They just blatantly ask for extra money. A taxi driver normally has to wait in line for two to three hours before their turn to pick up passengers at the airport. Operating at the airport is “risky business,” said Hung, a driver of the V. taxi operator. “There are days when you earn millions of dong after two rides, while you fail to reach the revenue target the other day despite five to six journeys,” he said. V. drivers have to pay the company VND600,000 ($28) when receiving the cars every morning. So they will have to try to earn more than that sum during the day to make a profit. “We thus try to seek extra money from customers, or take the longer path on short-distance journeys,” Hung admitted. A Saigon Air cabbie said most taxi drivers at the airport are reluctant to give short drives. “We have to generate a revenue of VND1.35 million [$63] a day to receive salary from the operator,” he explained. But Nguyen Huu Quang, deputy director of Saigon Air, said the target is reasonable and “drivers can easily make it if they work hard.” Quang added that the firm already carefully considered it before setting the target so that it would not become a pressure for drivers. Saigon Air also has a policy to support drivers when they carry customers on short journeys, which allows them to return directly to the airport without having to get in line again if their previous fare is below VND40,000, Quang said. “Drivers just make up an excuse that they could not meet the target with short journeys to ask for more money from their passengers,” he underlined. A representative of Hoang Long Taxi also said the company has the same support policy for drivers. Ta Long Hy, deputy general director of taxi operator Vinasun and chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Taxi Association, said drivers who turn down short rides will be suspended from work for a month for the first violation. The drivers will have their contract terminated for backsliding. “I recommend all taxi operators strictly sanction their drivers for this, and passengers should report to the taxi companies if they meet such cabbies,” Hy said.  TUOI TRE NEWS