Tan Son Nhat International Airport banned Saigon Taxi and Saigontourist Taxi operations at its facilities on June 22 for rigging.

Travelers await taxis and ride-hailing cars at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Photo: Hong Phuc/The Hanoi Times

The ban will remain in place until further notice and the scams are eradicated.

The decision followed a request from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to find and punish unauthorized and fraudulent taxis around Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Fare scams have been widely reported in the media to the detriment of the rights and interests of the airport, passengers and others, the aviation authority said.

The airport must work with the police and transportation authorities to inspect taxi and ride-hailing companies operating at the airport and take action against those who commit fare fraud, the authority said.

The airport authority said the fare scams had damaged the airport's brand.

On June 19, local authorities found that two taxi drivers operating under the names of Saigon Taxi (Cheap Taxi) and Saigontourist Taxi tampered with their meters to raise fares 10 times higher than normal.

The drivers were then fined VND11 million (US$467.59) each for fraud. Their driving licenses were also suspended for two months.

Taxi fare fraud has long been a major problem in the Tan Son Nhat International Airport area, where drivers manipulate their taximeters to inflate fares.

Passengers who discuss fares are intimidated and harassed until they accept and pay.

The airport handles approximately 60,000-70,000 travelers per day, making it a promising area for taxi and ride-hailing drivers.