Macao’s public buses and Light Rapid Transit (LRT) will be free-of-charge to all during the Legislative Assembly election this Sunday, as part of the government’s efforts to boost voter turnout.
According to a chief executive dispatch published on Monday, the public transport fare waiver will apply throughout the entire day. Night service buses – denoted by the ‘N’ prefix in their line number – are the exception, as they will continue to charge a fee as normal.
The government will also be offering 5 free shuttle bus routes on Election Day, with the services scheduled to operate at 15 to 20 minute intervals between 8:30 am and 9:30 pm.
Four of the shuttles are intended to serve voters living outside of Macao by providing them with roundtrip journeys between the Forum Macau polling station and four of Macao’s major crossings – Border Gate, Qingmao Port, Hengqin Port and the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
The fifth shuttle route will run between the University of Macau and the polling station at Taipa’s Olympic Sports Centre, providing transport for teachers and students who are looking to cast their ballots.
[See more: Macao CE Sam Hou Fai stresses the importance of voting as Election Day approaches]
This year’s election for the lawmakers who will comprise the 8th session of the Macao SAR legislature will run between 9 am and 9 pm. Some 37 voting locations have been designated, along with 38 direct election polling stations and 5 indirect ones.
Meanwhile, 29 election service stations will be set up across Macao on Election Day, providing voters with information about the election, voting stations and transport.
In preparation for Election Day, the authorities have been training staff members who will help carry out the electoral process. Pun Keng Seng, the chair of the Polling Station Executive Committee, told reporters that over 1,400 people from around 60 public departments had received training between 28 August and 10 September. Trainees were instructed in the voting process, the counting of votes, the operation of computer systems, as well as the management of the polling stations and emergencies.
With the election fast approaching, the 6 organisations fielding candidates in the direct election have been ramping up their campaigning across the city. They include group 1, Associação dos Cidadãos Unidos de Macau, and group 3, União Promotora Para O Progresso, which held rallies at Iao Hon Municipal Park and Flower City Park in Taipa.
Other parties that have hosted campaign events during the two-week campaign period, which will conclude tomorrow, include: Nova Esperança (group 2), União de Macau-Guangdong (group 4), União Para O Desenvolvimento (group 5) and Aliança de Bom Lar (group 6).
Two other groups – the Power of Synergy and Macau Creating People’s Livelihood Force – had intended to participate in the direct election, but their 12 nominees were deemed ineligible on national security grounds.
