Published:  08:44 Wednesday - July 25, 2012

Pedicabs ( Cyclo) are a symbolic means of transport of Hue tourism. Nevertheless, with a large number of 2800 pedicabs, there are many unsolved problems in the management of pedicabs’ activities.

Spontaneous and unprofessional

Phan Thu Trang, came to Hue for the 1st time, hired a pedicab for two persons to go from Hue Festival to Tran Hung Dao St. with VND30,000. But when she hired another one to return she had to pay VND20.000 for the same distance. Some days later, she and her friends rented three pedicabs to travel around the city. Though the deal was VND120.000, the pedicabs’ owner later unreasonably asked her to pay VND150.000. Of course Trang determinedly refused. 

Pedicab rental disorder usually happens in peak tourism seasons in summer and foreign tourists seasons from October to December. Many cyclo drivers not only ask tourists to pay much more than usual, but also make money by persuading customers to go to service operations which are unqualified.

Mr. Tran Viet Luc, Chief of Department of tourism planning and development, Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said that there are now  about 2800 pedicabs put into operation, but only 211 of them are the members of the tourist service trade union. 

The other 2000 ones are in local self-governing groups. However, these self-governing groups are all spontaneous and not professional, which has caused contradictions among groups and in pedicab rentals. The rental is different in each area and not unanimous even in the trade union.

“Moreover, the number of pedicabs in the trade union tends to decrease,” said Luc. It is because pedicab riders’ income is rather low, barely VND100.000 per day, and is based on seasons and the weather.

“There are serveral passengers in the daytime because of the scorching sunlight, so we work mostly in the evening. But we can only earn VND300.000 an evening at most, not to mention some days we came home penniless. Most of us have to do two or three jobs at the same time to make ends meet, and it is difficult to do so if we join the trade union,” said a freelance pedicab rider.

This trend has been putting more pressure on the management of pedicabs in Hue currently.

Pedicab operation to be put in order soon

Mr. Luc, Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism said that the pedicab management project has carried out by Department of tourism planning and development. The trade union are going to be given 120 million dongs to fortify pedicab operation in tourism such as renewing and painting purple on all pedicabs, making uniforms for pedicab riders or training members. In particular, tour costs are going to be fixed and posted up in public. 

Nevertheless, this is only applied to pedicabs in the trade union, which means more than 2000 other pedicabs are still quite difficult to manage.

Source: Vietnamnet