Ride-hailing services back on the road in HCMC

Ride-hailing firms have resumed their services in HCMC at a significantly lower scale than pre-pandemic times.

Vietnam-based Be Group, which runs the eponymous ride-hailing app, has reopened its ride-hailing taxi service in Ho Chi Minh City with just 10 percent of its original fleet strength using 50 percent of its capacity.

The Be Group said its car-hailing service beCar has begun operating in HCMC again on Tuesday, with drivers being given several financial incentives.

Drivers who are online to receive a pick-up for a total of 48 hours will receive a support package worth VND1 million ($43.91).

The GrabCar service has been functioning since Oct. 7 with a limited number of drivers as decided by the municipal transport department.

GrabCar’s four-seaters can only carry one passenger per ride and a seven-seater can only carry two.

Meanwhile, Gojek’s four-wheel ride-hailing service GoCar is operating on a trial basis since Tuesday. In the first stage of implementation, GoCar will serve customers who have participated in surveys and registered to experience the service.

The service had been launched on Aug. 19 to provide free transportation for frontline medical workers to participate in epidemic prevention work.

From Oct. 1, operators of tech-platforms operating vehicles with less than nine seats have been permitted. They can only use 10 percent of their registered number of vehicles.