TRANSPORT | Candidates offer over MOP1 million for taxi licenses

The highest bid for the latest batch of ordinary taxi licenses reached MOP1,051,888, with the lowest at MOP868,008. The bids were revealed as part of the public tender process held yesterday morning at the Macau Polytechnic Institute’s Multisport Pavilion.
With a floor price set at MOP200,000 for a single license, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) spent around three and a half hours opening and revealing the submitted bids one by one for a total of 200 grants that are valid for eight years.
The government received 2,172 bids in 2013 and almost a thousand bids in 2014, yet this year the number fell to only 643. Luís Correia Gageiro, deputy vice-head of the Bureau, told media after the tender that the rising repair and maintenance costs for taxis have scared away potential bidders.
Furthermore, Gagerio mentioned that he holds reservations about the prospect of the transport industry due to the current “complex circumstances on the road.”
Before the results of the tender were announced, the Times learnt from some bidders that successful purchasers could turn the license grant into a lucrative investment, as a license can be rented out for MOP20,000 each month, and it was expected that the lessor might enjoy a profit of roughly MOP2 million before the license lapsed.
However, Chong, a cab driver, who was also among the crowd of spectators, told the Times that he would not stand a chance in the speculator-dominated tender, which the bureau said was less fierce than previous years.
“The groups of speculators even forked out an amount over MOP1 million… Not even a chance. The real taxi drivers are gradually being eliminated [from the tender process],” said the nearly 60-year old.
However, the authorities are currently uncertain of the level of speculation in the tender process. “At the moment it’s hard to say whether the [license grants] are used for investment or personal use. In the future we will study whether bidders are also taxi driving-license holders and I believe there will be a certain ratio between them,” said the deputy vice-head. “Frankly, if you lack specific knowledge of the industry you’re going to work in, the investment won’t turn out to be successful.”
All of the five objections raised against the result were proven invalid following an internal discussion after the bids were read.
Currently the city has approxi-
mately 13,000 taxi driving-license holders in total. As Luís Gageiro recalled, the authorities are planning to launch two additional examinations in October and November to tackle the long list of examinees waiting to sit their qualification exams.
Another round of bidding for 100 special taxi licenses is on the horizon, yet further specifics on whether this bid will be exclusively for companies are yet to be released, aside from the operation format being similar to that of the already ousted “yellow taxis.” Staff reporter