On the afternoon of September 1, despite the rain, it was unable to stop the flow of people to the center of the capital to attend the events of the A80 Festival. Some services such as parking, motorbike taxis, selling raincoats... have increased in price by 3-4 times compared to normal days.
Taking advantage of the rainy weather and the fact that many people and tourists are not familiar with Hanoi's roads, some motorbike taxi drivers who sell raincoats have earned an average of 100,000 VND/trip for a distance of only about 1km, causing outrage.
Recorded at Cau Giay Station and Cat Linh Station on the Hanoi urban railway line, the number of visitors is increasing. However, when passengers get off the train, many motorbike taxi drivers aggressively stop and offer to take the bus. At Cau Giay station, most motorbike taxi drivers charge 100,000 VND/trip, with the agreement "to carry to a place where the road is prohibited for pedestrians". In fact, just about 300m away, at the De La Thanh - Kim Ma intersection, the authorities have barricaded and forced people to walk. To cope, many motorbike taxi drivers continue to transport passengers in the direction of Coconut Market but only stop at the gate of Children's Hospital.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (in Phu Tho) said that because she did not know the way, her mother and daughter had to pay 100,000 VND for the nearly 1km journey. When arriving at the congested area, the driver said he could not go and asked to pay, with the reason "if agreed, he would only take him to a place where the road was prohibited and stop".
At the same time, at Cat Linh station, motorbike taxi drivers also gathered, parked on Hao Nam street and even entered the station yard to pick up passengers, causing disorder.
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, a representative of Hanoi Railway Company Limited said that by 4:00 p.m. on September 1, the two urban railway lines had transported over 80,000 passengers. The number of passengers started to increase from 6am, causing Yen Nghia station (up station) and Cat Linh station (down station) to "break the streak". Hanoi Metro is forced to increase from 6 trains to 9 groups, while shortening the extension time from 15 minutes/trip to 6 minutes/trip, thereby relieving congestion.
Regarding this issue, a representative of the People's Committee of O Cho Dua Ward said that to ensure the safety of people and tourists attending the A80 parade and parade events, the ward has arranged 3 free parking lots near Cat Linh Station. At the same time, coordinate with Hanoi Urban Environment Company and Hanoi Metro to install free toilets, distribute drinking water, and arrange seating for veterans, meritorious people and the elderly.
According to the record, although motorbike taxi drivers operate messily at the stations, the situation of "ripping off" at some parking lots and toilets around this area has been eliminated.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuong, an employee of the Humanitarian Service Center working at the Cat Linh station first aid station, although the number of customers was large, there were no emergency cases, only a few first aid cases of the child with hand and foot scratches.
Regarding security and order, a representative of Metro Hanoi said that despite the support of the authorities, to ensure absolute safety for passengers, it is necessary to have more police reinforced at crowded stations such as Cat Linh, Yen Nghia, Cau Giay...
At the same time, Metro Hanoi recommends that people keep their belongings private and be on guard against pickpockets as happened in previous days.
