In response to several media reports highlighting the slow rollout of the 500 new taxis from the recent licensing tender held in mid-May, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced that approximately 219 taxis will begin operations this month. These taxis are associated with five of the ten companies that received licenses from the tender.
DSAT indicated that the remaining five companies will gradually introduce their taxis, with expectations that over 400 new taxis will be operational by January next year. As reported by the Times, Tony Kuok, director of the Taxis Mutual Aid Association, noted that only half of the 500 new taxis awarded to the ten companies would be in service at this time. He also said that around 400 taxi drivers are currently not employed full-time and that approximately 200 existing taxi licenses will expire by the end of the year.
During the tender process, DSAT acknowledged that while each new license permits the operation of 50 vehicles, it was uncertain how many new taxis would actually be on the roads due to around 300 licenses nearing expiration. The recent figures indicate that with 219 new taxis now in operation, this mainly serves to replace the expiring licenses rather than increase the total number of taxis available to the public.
The ten new licenses, which are valid for eight years, generated approximately MOP36.5 million for the government. These licenses require owners to accept credit card payments and popular mobile payment methods such as WeChat Pay, MPay, and Alipay. Additionally, license holders must provide training for drivers, including foreign language instruction.
Kuok also said the transition from old to new licenses has led to demographic changes within the taxi driver workforce, with a growing number of younger drivers entering the profession. According to the Association, young drivers now make up 30 to 40% of the taxi workforce.
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