The Transport Bureau (DSAT) has declined to elaborate on the “geographical constraints” that its director cited as the reason that Macau cannot replicate the mainland’s mode of online taxi hailing.
In a reply to lawmaker Ngan Iek Hang’s written inquiry, director of Transport Kelvin Lam claimed that Macau is under “restraints of geographical factors,” so the mode of online taxi hailing in mainland China cannot be “completely referenced.”
The mainland mode of an online ride-hailing service is comparable to the adjusted international mode. DiDi is the largest ride hailing service platform in mainland China, which relies on online platforms to hail taxis. The adjusted international mode is currently applied in Hong Kong, for example, where platforms such as Uber offer the option to call taxis online.
Considering the reply, the Times asked Lam’s bureau for clarification on what “geographical factors or restraints” the director was referring to. In addition, the Times cited Chongqing, a mountainous city with varied terrain, and Beijing, a historic city with small and winding alleys, as examples to support the contention that online taxi or ride hailing is viable under these “geographical constraints.”
Yesterday, the bureau’s Public Relations Division replied by email, saying that “regarding online ride-hailing services, the SAR government has elaborated its stand through a variety of channels. ‘[The DSAT] has no additional information.”
Reviewing the “elaborations through various channels” that the DSAT highlighted, the request for online ride-hailing services existed as early as 2016, when Uber was briefly in Macau.
At a question session featuring then Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário, then lawmaker Au Kam San said that although Uber had expressed its willingness to be legally monitored, the government refused to contemplate or discuss this further, according to a report by local media Cheng Pou dated Oct. 25, 2016.
Meanwhile, even pro-establishment lawmaker Ho Ion Sang underlined the social need for online ride-hailing services and called on the government to allow the introduction and supervision of such services.
In response, Rosário only said that vehicles operating under online hailing services must be legally apt for business, although the lawmakers were calling for measures to license online hailing services.
In August this year, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was asked about online ride-hailing services. In response, he first commended the “concept” of online ride hailing, although the “concept” has become a reality in many places around the globe.
Ho also disclosed that the government had checked the law and found no space for such services, “unless amending a lot of laws.”
In addition to this comment, as reported by local media Macau Today on Aug. 13 this year, Ho said many online ride hailing companies outside of Macau have been financially challenged, questioning who would pay the price if this happened in Macau, although both DiDi and Uber are private companies.
The inaccuracy of the location services used by the local Radio Taxi Company has long been criticized, a problem which Ngan mentioned in his inquiry. The director of transport noted that the radio taxi operator uses Gaode Map from the mainland and has reported inaccuracies to the map operator.
When asked by the Times why the DSAT – as the supervising authority of taxi services – did not suggest the taxi company switch to Google Maps, the bureau declined to comment, adding that “the choice of map service is the company’s commercial decision.”
According to the same Macau Today report, Kuok Leong Son, head of the Macao Taxi Driver Mutual Association, said his association is ready to put the online hailing concept into practice, by rolling out an app to hail the local, individually operated taxis, more commonly referred to as Black Taxis.
However, he raised the possibility of charging passengers for hailing fees.
