Macau says some progress made on taxi bottleneck

The Macau government says it has issued the 200 new taxi licenses it intended to issue, but only 100 will be on the roads by the end of this year.

Transport Bureau director Wong Wan said the other 100 new taxis would enter service next year, probably in the first quarter, according to local media reports.

He acknowledged that the supply of taxis fails to match demand, and said the government would issue more taxi licenses next year.

Visitors to the territory have complained of a shortage of taxis as Macau gears up to double its hotel capacity over the next few years.

Earlier this month, a group called the Macau Taxi Passengers Association handed a petition to the government with 5,470 signatures urging for improvements to the service, saying the current state of the industry is a disgrace.

The petition asks the government to reduce unlawful activities and review Macau’s long-term taxi needs.

The association says that “extortion, violence and scamming” are an everyday affair in the territory, with drivers regularly charging illegal fares.

 

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