The mandatory ownership identity verification on Macau Pass cards for bus fare discounts will be terminated on Feb. 10, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) has recently announced.
The DSAT triggered the program during a previous Covid-19 outbreak, purportedly in response to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) request for easier tracing of Covid-19 patients and their close-contacts.
Back then, the SSM claimed that tracing was inexplicably difficult due to large numbers of people taking the bus each day. As such, it requested that the DSAT trigger the identity verification program.
Those without their identities linked to their Macau Pass cards would not be entitled to government discounts on bus fares.
Some people did have data security concerns and decided not to participate. Some also suspected the program of collecting data on individual users’ travel habits.
Since November 2021, over 600,000 cards have been registered.
Recently, almost all Covid-19 restrictions have been withdrawn in Macau. Within the past month, the suspension of health code and footprint registrations has also been announced, meaning that tracing of positive cases and their close contacts is no longer necessary.
As such, the DSAT announced the termination of the program. The data will stay with the bureau for three more months and will be destroyed on May 10. In defense of the extended data retention period, the bureau said that it is necessary to facilitate lost card reporting.
Following the termination of the program, all Macau Pass holders will be entitled to government bus fare discounts.
In addition, the DSAT said the delayed announcement on the termination was due to communications with service provider, as well as testing and renewing of the payment console. AL
