Difficult to book a car
According to ride-hailing platforms, the demand for travel increases sharply near Tet, making it more difficult to book a car. Many drivers choose to leave early to return to their hometowns, while the number of customers needing to travel skyrocketed due to the need to shop, meet, or travel to bus stations and airports. This has led many users to report that booking a car during the last days of the year is "as difficult as winning the lottery".
Mr. Nguyen Tuan An (Nam Tu Liem - Hanoi) shared: “It took me more than 30 minutes to book a ride from home to work, even though I chose a higher price than usual. Even when I switched to a motorbike, I still had to wait a long time for a car to pick me up. Maybe it's because drivers go back to their hometowns for Tet at the end of the year, so it's hard to get a car. The driver who picked me up this morning also said he would drive until 3pm and then go back to his hometown."
Mr. Nguyen Van Quan (Cau Giay District, Hanoi) also encountered a similar situation when trying to book a technology car to Noi Bai Airport: "The app quoted a price one and a half times higher than normal. I failed to book many times, but luckily someone still accepted. Booking a car during Tet is very difficult."
Explaining this situation, a representative of a ride-hailing app said that in the days leading up to Tet, many drivers temporarily stopped working to prepare to return to their hometowns, leading to a sharp decrease in supply. Meanwhile, people's travel needs increased, especially in downtown areas, bus stations, train stations or airports. This is the main reason for the high fares and the difficulty in finding drivers.
Ready to run through Tet to earn extra income
In contrast to the confusion of customers, the end of the year is a “bumper season” for many technology drivers. Many people take advantage of this time to drive at full capacity, increasing their income before returning home to reunite with their families.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung (from Hai Phong - a motorbike driver for a technology company) shared: "This year, I decided to drive until the 28th of Tet to return home, two days later than last year. Going home early for Tet without money is also sad. At the end of the year, many customers book cars, the fare is also much better, and the roads are clear, I can run more trips faster, and earn money easier."
Mr. Hung said that customers during Tet are more willing to spend, many people are happy to "tip" extra when completing the trip. "Like yesterday, I ran from morning to night, earning more than 2 million VND. This is not an easy number to achieve on a normal day, so I try to run as hard as I can" - Mr. Hung said.
Many drivers are willing to work during Tet to earn extra income. Mr. Luu Trung Son (from Phu Tho - freelance taxi driver) said that in the days before Tet, his income skyrocketed thanks to the large number of customers. "In the past three days, my income has reached 4-5 million VND. In one day, I can run 3-4 combined trips from Hanoi to Phu Tho and vice versa.
Many people do not want to squeeze on the buses so they often choose to share a car. During Tet, I usually charge 1.5 times more than usual. There are days when I haven't had time to eat and a regular customer calls to take me to celebrate Tet. Now that alcohol is banned, I can't keep up with the work. I plan to run until the afternoon of the 29th.
"During Tet, we only take a break on the first day, then we continue to operate. The number of customers at the beginning of the new year is also very high, especially in the pagoda and Hung Temple areas," said Mr. Son.
The end of the year is a busy time everywhere. For technology drivers, this is the time when hard work and dedication are rewarded, when each trip not only helps customers get to their destination on time but also brings in a significant income for themselves and their families.
