Crime | Taxi driver has 116 infractions in less than two years

The police caught a taxi driver after he committed an offence against the taxi service regulations by overcharging a customer. After checking his record, the authorities confirmed that the driver had previously been charged for similar violations 115 times since 2016. The figure constitutes a new record in Macau, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) spokesperson revealed yesterday during a conference.

The case initially surfaced on the Internet last Saturday and led the police to investigate by contacting both the driver and the alleged victim, who posted several photos of the case on social media networks accompanied by a short story of her case.

The driver admitted to the PSP to picking up passengers around 10 a.m. on Saturday at the border gate taxi stand and driving to the Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal, where he asked her to pay a fee of MOP200.

The victim, a local woman in her 20s, elaborated on the account that she had published on a social network, adding that she had hailed the taxi on the border gate together with a friend.

After entering the taxi, the driver told them that since a rainstorm signal had been hoisted, he would not turn on the taximeter, instead asking for a fixed fare of MOP200 for the trip.

The victim also noted that the taxi driver had not placed his working permit in the proper place of the vehicle.

When questioned, the PSP spokesperson noted that according to past records, the majority of the driver’s previous violations were also either in relation to overcharging or refusing transportation to costumers.

Last week it was reported that another taxi driver was caught after locking a group of tourists inside his car, following a dispute. The driver had 87 previous violations of taxi service regulations on his personal record for the same period (within two years). Nevertheless, he was able to continue working despite his impressive record of infractions and unpaid fines.

In a separate case reported by the PSP, another taxi driver is being accused of unlawfully appropriating a client’s purse which had been left inside the taxi.

The case occurred on Sunday around 1 a.m., when the client, a tourist from the Philippines, entered the taxi at the crossroads between Rua de Nam Keng and Rua de Lagos in Taipa and headed to a hotel located in Cotai.

Upon arriving at the location and noticing his bag was no longer with the rest of his belongings, he immediately sought help from the police, noting that the bag contained cash in different currencies amounting to around MOP4,000, as well as his documents, cards and the hotel room door card.

The police managed to identify the driver, a local woman over 60 years of age and called her to the police station.

At the station, the woman claimed to be unaware of any bag left inside her taxi, claiming to have transported several clients subsequent to leaving the man in Cotai.

During the investigation, the PSP noticed that the taxi had a camera installed which records video and sound, used by many drivers as a security device.

Reviewing the device’s footage, the police discovered that the bag was found by a group of women who had entered the taxi immediately after the man was left in Cotai. One of the passengers handed the bag to the driver who said it belonged to her. After that, the driver called a friend and drove in her direction to Areia Preta district, leaving the bag with her.

After that, she received the call from the PSP and drove to the station.

The driver is being charged for the unlawful appropriation of lost property, and the friend is being charged for being an accomplice to receiving stolen goods. Both have been presented to the Public Prosecutions Office.