Passengers allegedly injured by taxi driver in Cotai

The Macau Taxi Passengers Association (MTPA) has condemned what it described as “another horrendous incident” where one of its members claimed to have been assaulted and injured by a taxi driver early yesterday morning.
According to MTPA, the incident took place between 5:20 a.m. and 8 a.m. in Cotai. The taxi driver allegedly demanded an illegal fare of MOP1,000 for a journey from Hard Rock Hotel to the Macau peninsula, which the association said would normally cost around MOP50. After the driver found out that one of the passengers – a young woman – was recording the conversation, he allegedly assaulted the woman by pushing her out of the car and onto the ground. The driver is also accused of driving into another person and causing a leg injury, which required hospitalization and an ambulance on the scene. The MTPA statement also suggested that the taxi driver fled the scene before the police arrived. “Our member also reports that police who attended the scene said there would be no consequences,” the press release states.
The Times checked MTPA’s Facebook page, where the report first emerged. The MTPA member who made the complaint claimed on the page that the driver had returned to the location after being contacted by the police. However, the member said the driver has denied all of the accusations.
Andrew Scott, the president of MTPA, said that incidents like this are “hurting everyone in Macau.” He also criticized the inaction of the authorities, suggesting that it has further invigorated the irregularities of the drivers.
“We seem to hear of an incident like this every week. Macau taxi drivers regularly engage in violence, usury and extortion because there is almost no enforcement and no serious consequences,” he said. “The inaction of Macau’s police, the taxi industry regulatory body DSAT, and of other authorities has emboldened Macau taxi drivers, especially night shift drivers, to the point they feel they can say and do almost anything.”
Moreover, the president pointed out that, as a tourist destination, Macau and its tourism industry will suffer as a result of such behavior. “Macau is a tourism city and the number one factor in determining visitation to a tourism destination is perceived safety, so this chaotic and dangerous situation with Macau taxi drivers is hurting everyone in Macau. I am very concerned that soon we’re going to see a very serious injury or even a death resulting from Macau taxi-related violence. I implore the Macau Government to do something about this crisis before that happens.”
This is the second incident this month in which taxi drivers allegedly injured others as a woman was involved in a hit and run incident involving a taxi on December 10. The victim was riding a motorcycle along Avenida da Amizade when a taxi suddenly turned left and hit the victim’s right side before knocking her to the ground. The taxi did not stop after the collision occurred and the victim was sent to the hospital for treatment. JPL