Toll collection congests Tan Son Nhat airport

The D1 and D2 lanes that run 100 meters each in front of the domestic terminal of Tan Son Nhat airport are designated for ride-hailing services to pick up passengers.

However, the two routes have often suffered heavy traffic jams.

Though they run in parallel, there is only one toll booth placed on the way out where two lanes are merged, which normally results in a long tailback.

Toll fee is VND25,000 (more than $1) - VND15,000 for parking and 10,000 for entering the airport.

All cars from the D1 and D2 lanes typically move into another lane along with other types of vehicles from the A, B, C, D lanes to reach another toll station 20 meters away so they can finally exit the airport, said a GrabCar driver named Van Thang on Monday.

The second toll station is for drivers to show their tickets proving they had already paid to pass the barrier.

Many drivers said congestion from inside the airport would then lead to traffic jams on Truong Son Street from where cars would enter the airport.

A representative from TCP Vietnam Investment JSC, which operates the parking lot and the two lanes of D1 and D2 at Tan Son Nhat, said both are designed to have 23 cars at once and to cope with the ongoing congestion, "we will make adjustments to either make sure that only 23 or fewer cars stay in those lanes at the same time."

A Tan Son Nhat representative said the airport is planning on opening another route for toll collection and at the same time, as ordered by the Ministry of Transport last month, will soon adopt an electronic toll collection (ETC) system at gates, which can contribute to easing traffic congestion.