The Transport Bureau (DSAT) and the Public Security Police Force (CPSP) held a joint press conference on Friday to reiterate that the Uber ride-sharing service is illegal because “according to local laws and regulations, a vehicle must be duly registered as a taxi before a driver can offer someone a ride in exchange for the payment of a fee”.
According to the local authorities, “both departments are paying close attention to and monitoring this new service”, clarifying that the fine of MOP30,000, mentioned in a previous statement, “is being applied, according to the rules and regulations of the road traffic, in cases where a driver is using a vehicle for a different purpose than the one originally authorized” i.e. using a car to partake in paid transportation services.
The two public departments also warned residents that “the service is not legally regulated and [customers’] personal data might be in danger of being used illegally by other people”. A DSAT spokesperson also added that “if the company would like to run a taxi service in Macau, they will need to comply with the laws that regulate that business.”
Repeatedly questioned by reporters about Uber’s use of vehicles owned by travel agencies and wanting to know whether or not that procedure is legal, the spokespersons appeared reluctant to clearly state the rules, commenting only that “we need to apply the law case by case, and if the authorities find any irregularities relating to the Tourism department, they will report the case to the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO)”.
On Saturday, the MGTO director Helena Senna Fernandes, speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the tenth anniversary of the Macau Businesswomen’s Association, added that the government department “is still investigating whether any of Macau’s travel agencies have provided car booking services to their customers using Uber”. She added that “Macau travel agencies provide legal car-booking services, but only using vehicles registered under that travel agency,” noting that “the driver must be hired by the travel agency as well”.
Ms Fernandes admitted that she has not yet looked into the actual patterns of use of Uber in Macau, so she does not really know whether the service has violated any of the office’s rules.
“If there is no registered travel agency called Uber, then I think there is no application called Uber belonging to any one of Macau’s travel agencies. In addition, we need to launch more enquiries and collect more information before we can confirm whether or not any travel agencies have provided services through Uber. There are many issues on which we need more information and data before we will know whether Uber has violated any of Macau’s laws”, said Ms. Fernandes.
On the same topic, speaking last week on the morning program of Radio Macau’s Chinese Channel, the president of the General Association of Taxi Owners, while arguing that Uber is illegal, called upon the government to present new regulations allowing such a service to be run in the territory.
The initial statement and consequent press conference from CPSP and DSAT came after Uber announced its transportation services in the territory “for an initial testing period”, following a promotion showing the the first ride being given to local singer Siufay, who reviewed the experience positively. RM
‘taxi-like’ services
There are several companies in Macau that have been operating ”taxi-like” services for more than 10 years now, including the resorts, casinos and The Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, which use a scheme of fixed rates for transportation to several locations on the Peninsula and the Islands.
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