Transport | Gov’t and Transmac to sign new public bus service contract

The Government and Transmac – Transportes Urbanos de Macau S.A.R.L. have reached an agreement to amend the latter’s public bus service contract. The revised contract will be signed shortly, according to an executive order published in the Official Gazette this week.
The amendments follow advice given by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) after they had completed an analysis in 2013 of the city’s public bus service contracts. Transmac operates two groups of public bus routes in Macau.
Public bus service operator Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau S.A.R.L. (TCM) signed a revised contract with the government in September 2015. The contract with the bus service operator that replaced the bankrupted Reolian – New Era – was signed in 2014. Both of these contracts already complied with the suggestions from the CCAC.
According to a statement issued by the Government Information Bureau, the authorities and Transmac have worked closely on drafting the amendments to the contract and to ensure the operation of normal, uninterrupted public bus services during the negotiation period.
The statement mentions that “under the amended contract, Transmac will need to take more obligations and will be subject to supervision from the government under the public services concession system. The company’s income will be linked to the quality of service provided.” It then adds that further details of the revised contract will be announced at a later time. However, the contract provisions will be similar to those included in the contracts signed with New Era and TCM.