VI
EN
Recently, the People's Committee of Lam Dong province issued a document agreeing to cease the operation of electric vehicles transporting tourists in Da Lat city.
According to the new regulations, from January 1, 2025, electric four-wheeled vehicles will operate in accordance with the Road Law, the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order, and other relevant legal documents. However, in practice, the implementation and application of this regulation have encountered many difficulties.
After a trial period, electric or gasoline-powered four-wheeled vehicles used to transport tourists in Da Lat City have been suspended.
One of the biggest challenges is the lack of suitable roads for four-wheeled electric vehicles. Many tourist cities have transportation infrastructure that does not meet the requirements of this type of vehicle. Narrow, congested roads, without dedicated lanes for electric vehicles, make movement difficult and pose a potential risk of traffic accidents.
Furthermore, regulations regarding the maximum speed for four-wheeled electric vehicles also present a challenge. According to the draft, four-wheeled electric vehicles are only permitted to operate on roads with speed limit signs of 30 km/h. However, currently very few roads in tourist cities have such signs. This makes it difficult to determine suitable routes for electric vehicles to operate.
The suspension of operations is in accordance with the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and the Road Law, starting from February 15th.
The pilot program will cease operations starting February 15th, as proposed by the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Transport. The Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee has instructed the Department of Transport to notify businesses about the suspension of operations until further notice. Simultaneously, the Department of Transport will lead and coordinate with relevant units to study regulations related to electric vehicle operations that are appropriate to the local situation, in order to advise the Provincial People's Committee.
According to the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Transport, in Da Lat city, there are two units participating in the pilot program for transporting tourists using four-wheeled electric vehicles: Da Lat City Tour Company (piloted since 2018) and Tinh An Tourism Service Development Investment Company (piloted from February 2024), with approximately 75 vehicles.
Lam Dong province has directed strict handling of cases where four-wheeled vehicles are required to cease operation but continue to operate illegally since February 15th.
If operations have to cease, the company will face serious economic losses, vehicles will be left idle resulting in costly maintenance expenses, business operations will be disrupted, and many workers risk losing their jobs. Representatives from Da Lat City Tour Company have requested that authorities review and amend Decree 165/2024/ND-CP. Specifically, the company proposes amending the speed limit regulation from 30 km/h to 50 km/h to better reflect current realities.
According to the company, the 40km/h speed limit signs have not been used on most roads since 2014. Only a few specific sections of road still use the 40km/h speed limit signs.
The potential decommissioning of small four-wheel electric vehicles is a worrying issue. Without timely solutions, the tourism industry in cities will be significantly impacted. Hopefully, the authorities will soon implement effective measures to allow four-wheel electric vehicles to resume operations and serve tourists.
The Lam Dong Provincial Department of Transport assesses electric vehicles as an environmentally friendly tourism product favored by tourists, bringing economic benefits to businesses and the locality.
