Courage is the Missing Policy

Renato Marques

Macau has a problem with its transportation network. It is obvious, undeniable, and ultimately not as complex as it appears to solve.

There are too many buses on the roads, yet they still do not seem to meet everyone’s needs.

The issue stems from a simple, obvious realization: Macau grew too quickly. More people are living and working in Macau, and more tourists are visiting. Unfortunately, the lack of planning has turned the previously good infrastructure into a nightmare for users and even for those trying to manage it.

Every time the public calls for better public transportation, the government responds by ordering the bus operators to add more buses to the “busier” routes. Visually, this is like pouring extra water into a bucket that is already full and overflowing.

As silly as this visual analogy may seem, I am not trying to say that the decision-makers are silly or that they cannot understand what is happening or even the consequences of their actions.

I do honestly believe they are intelligent people, many of them with enough training and experience in the field to develop a much better solution, but they lack the courage.

Yes, indeed, this is an issue. The lack of political courage to make a real decision and create a truly disruptive policy that will ultimately solve the problem for society is evident. But the capacity to take risks and aim for the greater good is also what separates an ordinary manager from a true leader, and we need some of those so badly around here.

I understand that Macau’s public bus network was built many decades ago, in different eras, for different people and with different needs. Back then, we did not have the constant flow of people around the clock between the city center and Cotai (which did not even exist), let alone the other areas that have recently undergone enormous development, such as Coloane, Areia Preta, and the Taipa Central Area, to mention just a few.

As a frequent public bus rider, I can summarize all the issues raised by many voices in society into one major problem – they are too slow – and by “too slow,” I do not mean they should increase their speed on the road.

I mean, people take too long to get from A to B, which is the basic principle of commuting.

In my opinion, this happens because of a mindset issue, rooted in the idea that buses should stop at every bus stop on their route “to be more efficient” and to “cater to more people.”

Nothing could be more wrong. It should be exactly the opposite. Two different bus routes traveling along the same street or road (because they have to, as there are no others) should stop at different bus stops.

This would not only reduce stop frequency (allow buses to run their routes more quickly) but also help distribute passengers across different locations (fewer people to get on, fewer people to get off = faster routes).

Oh, but “people are not used to this” – I can already hear it. Of course, they are not, but they will be. They were also not used to e-payments, the One Account, or buying food on their phones.

We only need courage. Who has it?