Gaode, a popular Chinese map app, recently added a ride-hailing function that operates similarly to Uber or Didi, allowing users to request immediate pickup or book in advance from a participating black taxi.
Local users must pay via MPay, while only those with mainland Chinese bank accounts may pay with WeChat Pay or Alipay. Gaode is also currently offering a 6-pataca discount for use in Macao.
The announcement has been met with much online support, with many people describing this as a long-awaited alleviation to the difficulty of finding a taxi locally. However, some users pointed out that the fares are more expensive than those charged on taxi meters.
[See more: Why doesn’t Macao have Uber, Didi or another ride-hailing service?]
While local taxi operators already offer a ride-hailing app, there are frequent complaints of delays and the unwillingness of drivers to take advance bookings.
Macao’s taxi shortage has been a source of frustration for residents and visitors over the past few years, with long waits for taxis commonplace owing to the inadequate size of the fleet. Roughly 1,460 taxis are all that are available to service nearly 700,000 local residents and tens of thousands of tourists that swamp Macao on weekends and holidays.
Although ride-hailing is universal in Hong Kong and the rest of China, it was banned in Macao in 2017, soon after Uber entered the city in October 2015, with officials citing ill-defined legal concerns and safety issues. Official opposition to Uber was highly unpopular, with pro-Uber protests breaking out in 2016.
