Public transportation | Sixty taxi licenses to expire this year

The first 60 taxi licenses issued by the government in 2005 are set to expire between this month and December. Next year, 170 more taxi licenses will expire.
The Transport Bureau (DSAT) says it plans to add 300 taxi licenses by public tendering in the first half of this year, in order to ease the public’s demand on public transportation.
Expiring licenses will not be allowed an extension, and related vehicles used as taxis will require cancellation or a change of use. The DSAT will send notification letters in succession to those license holders for returning their licenses. It warns that if a taxi with an expired license continues to operate, it will be regarded as an illegal conduct of transportation, and punishable by a fine of MOP25,000.
“Responding to citizens’ and tourists’ demands on taxi services, the SAR government has additionally issued taxi licenses with age limits through five times’ public tendering. (…) The DSAT will continue assessing the public’s demand on taxi services and supplement the amount of taxis through timely issuance of new taxi licenses,” stated the bureau.
DSAT has also revealed that the government is currently drafting a review of the legal regime of taxi’s passenger transport, aimed “at enabling the future taxi services to the greatest extent for the MSAR’s overall interest and the citizens and tourists’ travel needs.” “[The review] will also thoroughly consider the future taxi licensing policy,” the bureau pledged.