Users of the Transport Bureau’s Macao Smart Go app can now see the number of vacant taxis that are on the streets and pinpoint their location, following a recent update.
There’s a catch however. The update does not permit users to request a taxi. Instead, passengers will still need to physically hail one.
As one resident told local broadcaster TDM: “It appears to be convenient…but because the vehicle continues to move, I’ll have to chase after it if I need it.”
[See more: These are the best tips for getting a taxi in Macao]
Finding an available taxi has become a sore point in a city that has far too few taxis to meet demand. According to some estimates, the city could use hundreds if not thousands more cabs.
The government is in the process of soliciting applications for up to 500 more taxi licences. In the meantime, queues continue to build at the city’s taxi ranks.
A Macao Radio Taxi app is available and theoretically allows people to make online taxi bookings, but users say that drivers in practice only respond to phone calls.
