The municipal People's Committee said that before the fee collection can take place, infrastructure and traffic capabilities need to be sufficient for people to use first.
By 2035, HCMC's metro network should span around 355 km, consisting of seven metro lines. Such a network would allow public transportation to satisfy up to 50% of travel demands in the city. As metro lines enter operation, bus lines will follow suit, after which measures to limit personal vehicles, including collecting fees from cars entering downtown areas, can be applied.
The fee collection scheme has been tasked by HCMC to be looked into by the ITD corporation over a decade ago, but never came into fruition. In 2021, the firm proposed for the project to be done at VND2.3 trillion ($90.35 million).
The firm proposed for toll gates to be placed around districts 1 and 3, with some gates being placed on frequently congested roads like Truong Son and Cong Hoa in Tan Binh District.
By the end of this year, HCMC is managing over 9.5 million vehicles, including over a million cars and around 8.5 million motorbikes. The number of vehicles the city manages has increased by over 5 million compared to 15 years ago, while traffic road density in the city only reaches around 2.44 km of roads per km2, much lower than the 10-13 km per km2 standards.