HÀ NỘI — All substandard three- and four-wheeler vehicles will be banned by the end of June, said the Hà Nội Department of Transport.

According to the department, only 30 three-wheelers, owned by wounded war veterans, have been licensed to operate in Hà Nội to carry goods, and the remaining are illegal.

The city has more than 4,360 self-modified three-wheelers. Most of them are driven illegally by people posing as war invalids or are vehicles entering Hà Nội from other provinces.

There are no workshops in the city to manufacture these vehicles. But some motor repair shops illegally produce them, affecting public safety and traffic in the city.

Although the vehicles have been proposed to be banned by the end of June, many of them are still found on the roads, around markets and at bus stations, carrying goods and building materials, the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

A resident in Hoàn Kiếm District said the three-wheelers posing as war invalids’ vehicles to carry goods were found in large numbers around Đồng Xuân Market, occupying space and causing traffic congestion.

According to Đào Việt Long, head of the department’s transport management office, due to the high demand of transporting goods and building materials in small streets and narrow alleys where trucks cannot enter, some people use the names of wounded veterans or physically challenged people to coordinate with other owners of these vehicles to transport goods.

He said the transport department was working with the Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs as well as the finance department to make preferential policies to support wounded veterans and physically challenged people in Hà Nội to help them move on in life with other jobs instead of using a three-wheeler vehicle.

Wounded veterans who get the licence for using a three-wheeler must ensure they only use licensed vehicle with clear origin of manufacturer, technical standards, health conditions for driving and other criteria regulated by the current law, said Long. 

“This month, the transport department and relevant agencies will hold a dialogue with vehicle owners to listen to their problems and help them with jobs, vocational training and loans to do business,” Long said. — VNS