Raymond Tam Vai Man, Macao’s secretary for transport and public works, has initiated an internal investigation into the Transport Bureau (known by the Portuguese abbreviation DSAT) following a critical report from the Commission of Audit (CA).
According to Macau Post Daily, the report highlighted the DSAT’s failure to adequately oversee the concessionaire operating the city’s radio taxi services since 2017, specifically concerning the company’s inability to meet the stipulated minimum number of taxis in operation.
Tam announced the probe on Saturday, a day after the CA published its findings.
The government had awarded two concessions for radio taxi services, both to Macau Radio Taxi Services Limited. The first, for 100 radio taxis, began on 1 April 2017 and is set to expire on 30 September this year. The second concession, for 200 radio taxis, commenced on 1 December 2019 and will conclude on 31 May 2028. These special taxis are not permitted to pick up street hails, relying instead on a call centre, website and app.
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The audit report asserts that DSAT’s lax supervision directly contributed to the government’s failure to achieve its objective of improving taxi accessibility for residents through these concessions, Macau Post Daily says.
In his statement, Tam acknowledged the bureau’s responsibility for the issues exposed by the audit report. He emphasised that the government would address the matter “in a serious manner with zero tolerance.”
The investigation comes as both residents and tourists in Macao face long, frustrating waits for taxis owing to the small size of the city’s regular taxi fleet and the local government’s decision to ban ride-hailing apps like Uber and Didi, in spite of their universal use across the country.
Difficulties are also common with booking radio taxis, which mostly only respond to phone calls and to ignore advance bookings, preferring to accept immediate pick-ups only.
