Gov’t advisor suggest constant spot-checks for taxi misconduct

On-site inspection for violations concerning taxi services should be done regularly, Cheong Sok Leng, government transport affair advisor, recently proposed.

After the abrupt termination of almost all Covid-19 restrictions within China, tourism activities have promptly regained momentum, with tourists flocking into Macau over a matter of days. As business revives, taxi misconduct was on the rise as well, as reflected in official data and seen on many social media groups.

To prevent further deterioration of the situation, apart from the aforementioned suggestion, Cheong recommends that the government escalate its promotion of the taxi law. Passengers should also be encouraged to report any violations they experience or become aware of. The government advisor believes that these measures will help resurrect confidence in public transport.

In addition to misconduct, the difficulty in getting a taxi ride has also returned amid the return of tourism activities. Cheong admitted that complaints had been received from local residents, while she was aware of the difficulty of getting a taxi in older or residential districts.

Responding to the situation, she suggested the government operate reward and incentive schemes to attract taxi drivers to enter these districts, so as to ease these difficulties.

Between January 21 and 27, which was the first seven days of the Lunar New Year, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) logged 16 acts of taxi misconduct. In pre-Covid years, taxi services in Macau had been infamous for their selectiveness in accepting passengers and inhospitable attitudes.  AL