Macao’s taxi drivers have expressed opposition to any return of ride hailing services to the SAR, TDM reports.
Tony Kuok of the Macau Taxi Driver Mutual Association told the broadcaster that reintroducing ride hailing services would cause unacceptable market upheaval.
“We have been expressing strong opposition” he said, claiming that overseas experience showed that such services “affected the survival” of the conventional taxi sector.
Pressure is building on the local government to fix a so-called “taxi drought” that has made long waits for rides commonplace, especially with the return of large numbers of tourists to the territory in the wake of the pandemic.
While demand for taxis has significantly increased since Macao’s borders re-opened in January this year, the number of taxis in the territory has decreased by more than 400.
“More tourists are travelling and many of them need to take a taxi,” one disgruntled resident told TDM. “This dilutes the number of taxis available. We cannot catch a taxi when we’re in a hurry to work.”
[See more: Macao can forget about being an international destination until it fixes its taxi problem]
Another resident said that ride hailing apps were “convenient and fast” in the mainland, and urged the local government to re-introduce such services to Macao.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng recently indicated in-principle support for ride hailing services as a way to fix the problem, but cautioned that extensive legal preparation would be necessary.
While Uber – the world’s biggest ride share service – launched in Macao in 2015, it suspended its services in July 2017 after a two-year battle with red tape.
Kuok noted that an online booking system for Macao’s black taxis had already been developed and would be available later this year
In July, the Transport Bureau announced it would soon launch a public tender for additional taxi licences. It also announced mandatory training sessions for new taxi drivers throughout August.
