Mr. Quach Duc Duong, from a mountainous district of Thanh Hoa province, said that for the past two years, he has chosen to stay in Hanoi to drive a motorbike taxi during Tet.
Mr. Duong said that he is a freelancer so he can go back to his hometown at any time. Driving a motorbike taxi during Tet, especially on the first and second days, when the roads are clear and airy, is not as stressful as usual. Moreover, driving a motorbike taxi during Tet, technology companies often give extra bonuses. People who ride the motorbike taxi at the beginning of the year also often give lucky money.
“Sometimes when I see people going to wish me a happy new year, I feel a bit sad. But because I have two young children and my family is in financial difficulty, I have to try to earn more income to send back home for my wife to take care of the children,” Duc shared.
In addition to working as a motorbike taxi driver, many drivers also have a side job as a tire repairman. Nguyen Van Giang, from Bac Ninh, shared that he often drives around the beltway 3 from Thang Long Bridge to Linh Dam. Previously, Giang worked as a motorbike mechanic, so he always carries his tools with him.
“I brought along my tire repair tools mainly in case my bike broke down. However, during Tet, all the repair shops were closed, and I saw many people struggling to find a place to fix their tires, so I often helped them fix their tires. At first, I helped for free, and people paid whatever they wanted. Later, I found it convenient, so I worked as a motorbike taxi driver and also a mobile repairman,” Giang said.
Tran Ngoc Quang, a motorbike taxi driver who has been working as a motorbike taxi driver for more than 3 years, said that the current penalties for alcohol concentration are very high. Therefore, during Tet, many people want to use motorbike taxi drivers to avoid legal trouble. Since the first day of Tet, he has driven more than 10 trips for people who have been drinking alcohol.
According to a survey by reporters, on technology-based car booking platforms, the same distance from Thang Long Bridge to Cau Giay Park costs about 50,000 - 60,000 VND on normal days, but on Tet, users will have to pay about 70,000 VND for this journey. Similarly, from Thang Long Bridge to Hanoi Railway Station, users have to pay nearly 100,000 VND instead of 70,000 - 80,000 VND as usual.
On technology-based ride-hailing platforms, many companies openly increase service fees during Tet.
Typically, Grab announced that it will apply a Lunar New Year surcharge from January 25, 2025 to January 31, 2025 for rides/orders between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. every day in the provinces and cities where Grab operates.
With GrabBike, GrabBike Economy, GrabBike Plus services, users will have to pay an additional 5,000 VND for each ride; with GrabCar, users will pay an additional fee of 15,000 VND.
