Group calls for bus line 25 to stop again in Hac Sa

A group delivered a petition to the Chief Executive (CE) yesterday requesting the restoration of bus route number 25, so that it will stop again at Hac Sa Beach.

Since May 7, getting in and out of the Hac Sa and Cheoc Van areas has become difficult due to a course adjustment to route 25, as announced in a statement by the Transport Bureau (DSAT). The amended route 25 passed all bus stops from Coloane Village until the Hac Sa Beach stop cancelled.

Led by lawmaker Leong Veng Chai and by Rita Santos, president of the General Assembly of the Macau Civil Servant’s Association (ATFPM), the group visited the government headquarters at 3 p.m. yesterday to hand over their appeal to CE.

Leong said that the group was representing people living around the area of Hac Sa Beach, as well as people who would go to the Hac Sa Beach for entertainment.

He further noted that the shorter route also causes inconvenience for people who need to go to that area to visit a nursing house.

In addition, Leong believes that the adjusted bus route affects the image of Macau as a tourism city, as many tourists wish to visit Hac Sa Beach.

According to the group, Transmac, the company that supplies line 25, changed the route without consulting the public.

According to Leong, the company explained that the number of people taking that bus was small, however Leong did not accept such an excuse.

“I found it a little bit strange, since, as the weather gets warmer, many residents intend to go there to swim. How come there are fewer people taking the bus? There are more people [taking the bus],” declared Leong, noting that many residents around the area say that more people have been buying properties in the vicinity, which means an increased occupancy rate of bus line 25. “Bus companies get much support from the government, which mainly consists of public support,” said Leong, adding that “Coloane residents have strong opinions” on the matter.

Approximately 600 people signed the petition urging the government to cooperate with the bus company to force line 25 to be extended once again to the Hac Sa Beach terminal.

Monica Teng, a spokesperson of the group and also a resident near Hac Sa Beach, indicated that the change in the bus route is inconvenient for people who work around the area.

“Hac Sa is the back garden of Macau people,” said Teng, adding that stops near Cheoc Van Villa should not being canceled as well. “It has a great impact over our quality of life,” said Teng. She noted that there are approximately 26,000 people living around the Coloane village.

In conclusion, lawmaker Leong remarked that the change was not a result of public consultation nor did the transport advisory committee make any announcement about reasons for the change.

“It makes the public feel like the government do whatever they want without consulting the residents” Leong added.