Transportation | Gov’t restates that Uber services are unlicensed

Picture of Sunday’s march in support of Uber service

Authorities responded yesterday to Sunday’s march in support of Uber, stating that “the government respects the rights of those that joined a demonstration.”
However, a statement issued by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) noted that “such passenger transportation services [Uber] are unlicensed and were deemed illegal for operation in Macau. Some of the opinions expressed during the demonstration did not appear to take [into] account Macau’s existing legislation on passenger transportation services.”
The statement adds that “this type of car hailing service – via mobile application – had already been deemed as either unauthorized or illegal in several places around the world, including some European countries and some states in the United States of America.”
The GCS statement reiterated that passenger transportation services could not be operated in Macau without proper regulation by the relevant authorities.
It also notes that the Public Security Police Force and the Transport Bureau – which are responsible for supervising Macau’s transportation services – “have no comment regarding news reports and rumors about the withdrawal of a private car hailing service offered by a company based outside Macau [Uber].”
Uber said in an August statement that it will close down its Macau operations, citing hefty fines for its drivers as its primary motivation. Uber will withdraw on September 9 unless it reaches an agreement regarding the company’s legalization and the fines payable, which amount to more than MOP10 million.