Getting around Macao is becoming a major problem. There aren’t enough taxis. Ride hailing apps are banned. The public bus network, if you’re a visitor, can be daunting, while the LRT is restricted to a single line.
It wasn’t always this bad. Uber briefly operated here but was barred in 2017. When it shut down, it left a big gap in the market, but at least there were more regular taxis available to pick up the slack.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. Tourists stopped coming and, faced with a sharp drop in business, many operators did not renew their taxi licences. Some 400 licences expired during the pandemic.
When travel restrictions were lifted in January, and visitors returned, the shortfall became immediately obvious. Suddenly, taxis became difficult to find, with long waits commonplace. The government is planning to put 300 new licences up for tender this year but analysts say this may not be enough.
There is a parallel, privately run transport system in Macao however, and until the city sorts out its transport woes your best bet may be to get familiar with it. We’re talking about the sprawling network of shuttle buses run by the hotels. The coaches are comfortable, air-conditioned – and free.
Here’s a quick summary:
– All the major hotels run services to the Zhuhai Border Gate and Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. Most have services to the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
– If you want to get to Macau International Airport, there are shuttles from: Hotel Lisboa, Grand Lisboa, MGM Macau, City of Dreams, Studio City, the Venetian, the Parisian, the Londoner, Galaxy Macau, MGM Cotai, Wynn Palace, Grand Lisboa Palace and Lisboeta Macau.
– If you want to get to HZMB Macao Port, where buses depart for Hong Kong and Zhuhai, you’ll find shuttles from Ponte 16, Wynn Macau, the Londoner, Wynn Palace and Grand Lisboa Palace (the latter in the evenings only).
– To get from the peninsula to Cotai, hop on the shuttles that ply the routes between the Grand Lisboa, the Hotel Lisboa and the Grand Lisboa Palace. There are pick-ups at Macau Tower and the New Yaohan mall as well. You can also board a shuttle at Sands Macao for the Londoner, the Venetian and the Parisian. Wynn, Galaxy and MGM have shuttles connecting their peninsula and Cotai properties too.
– To get to Taipa Village, board any shuttle bound for Galaxy Macau (the village is walking distance from the resort). You can also get a shuttle to Taipa Village from the Grand Lisboa Palace.
– If you want to go to Coloane, shuttles depart from the Venetian’s west wing bound for the Grand Coloane Resort, which is walking distance from Hác Sá beach and the popular Fernando’s restaurant (but note that Coloane Village itself is an hour away from the resort on foot).
For fuller details, see below – and do bookmark this article, because Macao’s public transport problems are unlikely to get better any time soon.
[See more: Here’s how to get the bus from Hong Kong to Macao]
Picking up in the city centre
Hotel Lisboa
There is a shuttle bus between the hotel and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 30 minutes from 9:25 am to 8:55 pm, to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 15-30 minutes from 9:45 am to 10 pm, and Taipa Ferry Terminal every 30 minutes from 10 am to 6 pm.
You can get a shuttle service from and to the Macau Tower every 30 minutes from 12:18 to 7:23 pm. In addition, there are shuttle services between the hotel and Macau International Airport from 10:25 am to 6:35 pm, but these are by reservation only.
Contact: (853) 2888 3888
Email: [email protected]
Grand Lisboa
Buses depart for the Zhuhai Border Gate every 15-30 minutes from 9:20 am to 10:30 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 20-30 minutes from 9:50 am to 9:55 pm, and Macau International Airport every 30 minutes from 10:20 am to 6:35 pm.
Contact: (853) 8803 7641
Email: [email protected]
Ponte 16
If you’re in the Inner Harbour area, you can hop on shuttles from Ponte 16 to the Zhuhai Border Gate every 20 minutes from 10 am to 10 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 25-40 minutes from 10:14 am to 7:35 pm and to HZMB Macao Port every 25-30 minutes from 10 am to 8 pm. The latter is where you can find buses that take you across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to Hong Kong or Zhuhai.
Contact: (853) 8861 8888
Email: [email protected]
Picking up in NAPE
Sands Macao
There are shuttle buses between Sands Macao and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 10-15 minutes from 9 am to 10 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 15-20 minutes from 9:45 am to 8:45 pm, and Taipa Ferry Terminal every 15-20 minutes from 8:10 am to around half past midnight.
Shuttle buses also operate between Sands Macao and three sister properties in Cotai: the Venetian Macao (every 15-20 minutes from 11 am to 9 pm) as well as the Parisian Macao and the Londoner Macao (both every 20-25 minutes from 11 am to 9 pm).
Contact: (853) 2888 3388
Email: [email protected]
MGM Macau
There is a shuttle bus between MGM Macau and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 15-20 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm, and a service every 15 minutes, from 9 am to 8 pm, between the property and the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, Taipa Ferry Terminal and Macau International Airport.
The resort also operates a shuttle service from and to the Macau Tower every 15 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm.
Contact: (853) 8802 8888
Email: [email protected]
Wynn Macau
Hop on shuttle buses here for the Zhuhai Border Gate every 8-10 minutes from 9 am to 9 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 15 minutes from 9 am to 9 pm and HZMB Macao Port every 10-20 minutes from 10 am to 8 pm.
Contact: (853) 2888 9966
Email: [email protected]
StarWorld Hotel
Services are offered between StarWorld Hotel and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 15-30 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm and the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 15 minutes from 9:30 am to 11 pm.
Contact: (853) 2838 3838
Email: [email protected]
[See more: Macao’s taxi drivers say ride hailing services would jeopardise their industry ]
Picking up in Cotai
City of Dreams
Shuttle buses operate between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 10-12 minutes from 9:30 am to 9 pm and every 12-30 minutes from 9 pm to 11:30 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 14-20 minutes from 9:30 am to 10 pm, Hengqin Port every 25-30 minutes from 10 am to 7 pm, as well as to Taipa Ferry Terminal and Macau International Airport (both every 6-15 minutes from 9:30 am to 10:25 pm).
Contact: (853) 8868 6688
Email: [email protected]
Studio City
Board shuttle buses here for the Zhuhai Border Gate every 10-12 minutes from 9:30 am to 9 pm and every 12-30 minutes from 9 pm to 11:30 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 14-20 minutes from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm, Hengqin Port every 25-30 minutes from 10 am to 7:10 pm, as well as Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Macau International Airport (both every 6-15 minutes from 9:30 am to 10:15 pm).
In addition, there are services between Studio City and City of Dreams as well as to Altira Macau in Taipa.
Contact: (853) 8865 8888
Email: [email protected]
The Venetian Macao
Shuttle buses operate between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 5-10 minutes from 9 am to 10 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 12-15 minutes from 9 am to 8:40 pm, Taipa Ferry Terminal every 7-10 minutes from 8:10 am to about half past midnight, Macau International Airport every 15-20 minutes from 11 am to 9 pm and Hengqin Port every 8-10 minutes from 9 am to 8:25 pm.
Contact: (853) 2882 8888
Email: [email protected]
The Parisian Macao
Services connect the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 10-12 minutes from 9 am to 10 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 12-15 minutes from 9 am to 8:45 pm, Taipa Ferry Terminal every 8-10 minutes from 8:10 am to about half past midnight, Macau International Airport every 15-20 minutes from 11 am to 9:10 pm and Hengqin Port every 8-10 minutes from 9 am to 8:30 pm.
Contact: (853) 2882 8833
Email: [email protected]
The Londoner Macao
Shuttle buses run between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 8-10 minutes from 9 am to 10 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 12-15 minutes from 9 am to 8:30 pm, Taipa Ferry Terminal every 7-10 minutes from 8:10 am to about half past midnight, Macau International Airport every 15-20 minutes from 11 am to 9 pm, Hengqin Port every 8-10 minutes from 9 am to 8:15 pm and HZMB Macao Port every 18-20 minutes from 10 am to 8 pm.
Contact: (853) 2882 2878
Email: [email protected]
Galaxy Macau
Services ply between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 5-10 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 20-30 minutes from 9:30 am to 11 pm, Taipa Ferry Terminal every 10-15 minutes from 10 am to 11 pm, Macau International Airport every 20 minutes from 10 am to 9 pm and Hengqin Port every 15 minutes from 10 am to 8 pm.
There is also a shuttle bus between the property and StarWorld Hotel in NAPE every 15 minutes from 10 am to 9 pm.
Contact: (853) 2888 0888
Email: [email protected]
[See more: Accommodation in Macao that doesn’t cost a fortune]
MGM Cotai
There are shuttle buses operating every 15-20 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm between MGM Cotai and the Zhuhai Border Gate, and every 15 minutes from 9 am to 8 pm between the property and Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Macau International Airport.
Services also operate between the property and MGM Macau in NAPE, as well as Macau Tower (both every 15 minutes from 9 am to 11:30 pm).
Contact: (853) 8802 3333
Email: [email protected]
Wynn Palace
Shuttle buses run between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate from 9 am to 9 pm, every 15-20 minutes on Mondays to Thursdays, and every 10-20 minutes on Fridays to Sundays. There are buses to HZMB Macao Port every 15-20 minutes from 10 am to 8 pm, Hengqin Port every 20 minutes from 10 am to 6 pm, as well as Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Macau International Airport (both every 15-20 minutes from 10 am to 8:30 pm).
There is also a shuttle bus between the property and Wynn Macau in NAPE every 15-20 minutes from 9:30 am to 10 pm.
Contact: (853) 8889 8889
Email: [email protected]
Grand Lisboa Palace
Shuttle buses operate between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 15-30 minutes from 9 am to midnight, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal every 30 minutes from 10:20 am to 11:40 pm, Hengqin Port every 40 minutes from 10 am to 6 pm, as well as Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Macau International Airport (both every 20 minutes from 10 am to 11:40 pm).
In addition, there is a one-way evening shuttle service from Grand Lisboa Palace to HZMB Macao Port every 30 minutes from 9:10 to 11:40 pm.
You’ll find a shuttle bus every 40 minutes from noon to 8 pm, between the property and Taipa Village, which is conveniently located across the road from Galaxy Macau.
There are also shuttle buses to the Grand Lisboa every 15-30 minutes from 10 am to 11:45 pm, Hotel Lisboa every 30 minutes from 10:10 am to 9 pm, Jai Alai Oceanus every 30 minutes from 10:15 am to 9:05 pm, as well as to the Macau Tower and the New Yaohan shopping centre (both every 30 minutes from 1 to 9 pm).
Contact: (853) 8881 8888
Email: [email protected]
Lisboeta Macau
Services connect the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 40-60 minutes from 11 am to 8:05 pm, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and Hengqin Port (both every 60 minutes from 11 am to 8 pm), as well as Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Macau International Airport (both every 60 minutes from 11:05 am to 8:05 pm).
There is a shuttle between Lisboeta Macau and Wynn Palace every 10 minutes from noon to 9 pm. There is also a service between the property and L’Arc Macau in NAPE every 40-60 minutes from 11 am to 8:05 pm.
Contact: (853) 8882 6888
Email: [email protected]
Picking up in Taipa
Inn Hotel
There are 10 shuttle services daily (with three extra services on Sundays) from the Inn Hotel in Taipa to the Zhuhai Border Gate via the Grand Emperor Hotel in the Nam Van Lake district. However, this service is only available one way.
Altira Macau
There is a shuttle bus between the property and the Zhuhai Border Gate every 40-50 minutes from 10:25 am to 9:15 pm. You can also get services to City of Dreams every 40-50 minutes from 11:23 am to 9:05 pm, as well as to Studio City every 40-50 minutes from 11:15 am to 8:55 pm.
Contact: (853) 2886 8666
Email: [email protected]
[See more: How to do Rua do Cunha like a pro]
Picking up in Coloane
Grand Coloane Resort
The only shuttle bus serving a Coloane route departs this beachfront resort every 30 minutes from 11 am to 2:30 pm, and from 5 to 8:30 pm. The pick-up and drop-off point is located outside the Venetian Macao’s West Wing – walking distance to Galaxy Macau and Taipa Village.
Contact: (853) 2887 1111
Email: [email protected]
