Macau Matters | Driverless Macau

Richard Whitfield

To me it is clear that we are in a major transition in road transport. In the not too distant future, when people want to go somewhere they will simply call a driverless car to come and pick them up and drop them at their destination, and pay by an electronic funds transfer. Most people will not own a car, and will not have a driver’s license. The few cars needed will be all-electric and owned by transportation companies. I think that in Macau we should be encouraging this transition, and not modelling ourselves on the apocryphal (and misrepresented) story of King Canute futilely trying to stop the incoming tide.

It may seem to be science fiction, but my vision of the future of personal road transport has a lot of merit. Because the cars can be highly utilized driving people around 24 hours per day a lot fewer cars will be needed so that the roads will be much clearer. There will also be very few parked cars, so that the streetscapes can be made much nicer. The cars will all be electric so there will be no roadside air pollution, again improving the streetscapes. Driverless cars will also be much safer because they will communicate and collaborate and behave predictably. They will also be better at giving way to pedestrians.

So we could have a very green and park-
like Macau where people can comfortably walk short distances, and quickly and easily get very safe rides for longer trips in cars that are very unobtrusive. Goods could be delivered automatically by driverless trucks at convenient “off peak” times. It all sounds a bit idyllic, but possible, nevertheless.

However, to achieve this goal, we in Macau need to decide that we want it and then proactively work to achieve it. Moreover, this goal will eventually be achieved at different times in different places, and in Macau we should aim to be among the first, and not the last. I have said many times to many people that Macau needs to be a “city of the future” and a showcase of what can be achieved for the whole region – we are small enough and rich enough to do it, and it provides an excellent way for Macau to diversify its economy (by exporting technology and consulting services to the region).

We will not achieve this vision by making Uber illegal. These kinds of services are taking over from taxis all round the world because they are better and cheaper. In Macau we should be looking to change our laws and policies to facilitate the development of such car services and not resist them. Why can’t Macau lead the way to identify and put in place ways to overcome the known problems with Uber-type services? They are an essential component of a driverless car future.

We will also not achieve this vision by making it difficult to have all-electric cars in Macau. Again, we should be putting in place laws and policies to facilitate all-electric vehicles and encouraging people to get them. Encouraging all-electric taxi fleets with financial and other incentives are an excellent place to start.

We will not achieve this vision without encouraging a more cashless Macau – we need more, and more flexible, low cost electronic payment systems. We need changes to the local financial system and regulatory framework to enable simpler electronic payments for goods and services.

We will not achieve this vision without rethinking our urban planning, streetside parking and road laws so that they can cater for and encourage driverless vehicles. We need to envision a pedestrian friendly, walkable Macau where unobtrusive vehicles can be readily called for longer trips. What is stopping us?