With gasoline and diesel oil increasing by VND2,100 and VND1,000 per liter to VND22,900 and VND21,400 respectively, the firms are calculating a transport charge hike to make up for the increased fuel costs.

Trinh Chau Khanh, director of Kim Loi Minh Transport Co., told the Daily that fuel costs account for 45-50% of transport fees. If enterprises keep the charges unchanged, they cannot ensure profitability, he said.

Khanh said transport firms would hold negotiations with goods owners to reach agreement on fee increases but he refused to reveal when the new charges apply, although it was likely to be within the next few days.

Similarly, Nguyen Ngoc Dan, director of Hai Duong Transport Delivery Co. Ltd., said the firm’s transport charges will be increased 10%, exactly the percentage of the latest fuel price rise.

He added his company had lost numerous customers due to the fuel price volatility last year. To avoid such a situation, the firm will not increase their charges for a week.

The fuel price hike has also forced taxi service providers to charge higher fares. Truong Quang Man, deputy general director of Mai Linh Taxi, said his company will revise up fares by 6%.

Meanwhile, passenger transport enterprises at Mien Dong Coach Station are still applying the old charges. Thuong Thanh Hai, deputy director of the coach station, said a charge hike may occur in a week, with the increase lower than 10%.

Transporters are required to write to the HCMC Department of Transport and the Department of Finance before they can adjust up their transport fees.

Ta Long Hy, chairman of the HCMC Taxi Association, told Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper that taxi fares would definitely rise next week after being restrained for several months, while enterprises are struggling with rising labor costs and high bank interest rates.

Luong Hoang Trung, vice chairman of the HCMC Goods Transport Association, said the association is weighing new transport fees which will be applied in the near future.

A representative of Phuong Trang Tourist & Transportation Company said the firm is considering a 5-12% increase for 15 routes, including ten to the Mekong Delta and five to the central region. HCMC-Dalat and HCMC-Nha Trang routes, however, will remain unchanged.