Recently, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee issued a document agreeing to stop the operation of electric cars carrying tourists in Da Lat city.
According to the new regulations, from January 1, 2025, electric four-wheeled vehicles will operate in accordance with the provisions of the Road Law, the Law on Road Traffic Safety and related legal documents. However, in reality, the implementation and application of this regulation has encountered many difficulties.
After a period of pilot operation, 4-wheel vehicles running on electricity or gasoline to transport tourists in Da Lat city had to stop operating.
One of the biggest challenges is the lack of suitable roads for electric vehicles. Many tourist cities have inadequate traffic infrastructure for these vehicles. The roads are narrow, crowded, and have no dedicated lanes for electric vehicles, making it difficult to move around and posing a risk of traffic accidents.
In addition, the regulation on the maximum speed for 4-wheel electric vehicles is also a challenge. According to the draft, 4-wheel electric vehicles are only allowed to operate on routes with signs of a maximum speed of 30 km/h. However, currently, very few routes in tourist cities have such signs. This makes it difficult to determine the appropriate route for electric vehicles to operate.
The suspension of operations is in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and the Road Law starting from February 15.
The pilot suspension period is from February 15, as proposed by the Department of Transport of Lam Dong province. The People's Committee of Lam Dong province assigned the Department of Transport to notify businesses about the suspension of operations until further notice. At the same time, the Department of Transport will preside over and coordinate with relevant units to study relevant regulations on electric vehicle operations in accordance with the actual situation of the locality to advise the Provincial People's Committee.
According to the Department of Transport of Lam Dong province, in Da Lat city, there are 2 units participating in the pilot program of transporting tourists by 4-wheel electric vehicles: Da Lat City Tour Company (piloted since 2018) and Tinh An Tourism Service Development Investment Company (piloted since February 2024) with about 75 vehicles.
Lam Dong province has directed strict handling of cases where four-wheeled vehicles are required to stop operating but still operate illegally from February 15.
If the company has to stop operating, it will face serious economic losses, vehicles will have to be parked, causing costly maintenance costs, business operations will be disrupted, and many workers will be at risk of losing their jobs. Representatives of Da Lat City Tour Company proposed that the authorities review and adjust Decree 165/2024/ND-CP. Specifically, the company proposed to amend the regulation on speed limits from 30 km/h to 50 km/h, to suit the reality.
According to the company, 40km/h speed limit signs have been discontinued on most roads since 2014. Only a few isolated sections of road still use 40km/h speed limit signs.
The fact that small electric 4-wheelers are at risk of ceasing to operate is a worrying issue. Without timely solutions, the tourism industry of the cities will be significantly affected. Hopefully, the authorities will soon have effective solutions so that electric 4-wheelers can continue to operate and serve tourists.
Lam Dong Department of Transport assesses electric cars as an environmentally friendly tourism product that is popular with tourists, bringing economic efficiency to businesses and localities.
