Public bus ridership hits record high despite capacity strains

The public bus system is experiencing unprecedented demand, with the average daily ridership reaching 626,700 passengers in the first half of 2025 – the highest figure recorded since at least 2011, according to the Transport Affairs Bureau (DSAT).

This represents a 71% increase compared with early 2020, when daily usage stood at 364,000.

Despite the surge in passengers, the fleet and route network have grown only modestly.

DSAT data show that as of mid-2025, the city operates 984 buses across 86 routes, up from 910 buses and 84 routes in 2020 – an 8% and 2% increase, respectively.

Transmac runs 33 routes with 440 buses and 689 drivers, while TCM operates 56 routes with 544 buses and 819 drivers.

The city maintains 444 bus stops, including 258 on the Macau Peninsula, 135 on Taipa, and 51 on Coloane.

During the first six months of 2025, public buses carried a total of 56.9 million passengers, a 2.5% rise over the same period last year.

The most heavily used routes were the 25, MT4, and 3, while the 103X, H1, and 37 saw the fewest riders.

The city’s fleet is increasingly eco-friendly: 94.4% of buses now run on clean energy, with 50 using natural gas and 879 equipped with range extenders, while diesel-powered buses have dropped from 921 in 2020 to 55 today.

Accessibility has slightly declined, with buses equipped for wheelchair users falling 5% to 883 and low-floor buses decreasing 6% to 974.

Earlier this year, lawmakers urged the government to take urgent action to address the city’s mounting transport challenges, characterized by chronic bus overcrowding, outdated regulations, and insufficient infrastructure.

Lawmakers have labeled bus overcrowding a “chronic problem,” which worsens during concerts and major events.

Back in 2023, in a Times inquiry, DSAT claimed that buses with a stated capacity of 65 passengers may not be overloaded even if “the buses are circulating carrying over 100 passengers.”

According to DSAT, “As loading and unloading of passengers may occur in the course of transporting passengers on public buses, even for a public bus with a capacity of 65 passengers, the total number of passengers carried on a bus trip may exceed 100, but this is not overloading.”

Times Reporter