Traffic briefly came to a standstill at the intersection of Avenida do Infante Dom Henrique and Avenida de Dom João IV yesterday afternoon, due to an Uber demonstration that had its sights set on the Government Headquarters.
It began as a disappointingly small demonstration of less than 150 people, and swelled in size to more than 250 by the time it reached its destination at the Nam Van Lake promenade.
Spearheaded by Macau Community Development Initiative’s (MCDI) leaders, including lawmaker Au Kam San and Love Macau Association president Cloee Chao, the demonstrators wielded placards provided by organizers and chanted slogans for about two hours yesterday.
Among the messages brandished on signs held by demonstrators were: “Make Uber legal, people need more options”; “Support coexistence [of taxis and ride-hailing services], enjoy the benefits of economic growth”; and “Crackdown on the monopoly.” Another, in English, read: “We need Uber, no [more] tickets.”
Pedestrian onlookers greeted the demonstrators with mixed reactions, some visibly exhibiting support for the cause and others – among them tourists – wearing a look of bewilderment.
At the heart of Tap Seac Square, where the demonstrators rallied ahead of their march, lawmaker Au insisted that “competition is a good thing” and that Macau could follow mainland China’s approach to legalizing and regulating these services.
Meanwhile, Cloee Chao, who also took to the stage, emphasized that consumers today read books and order products online, and that ride-hailing apps are a natural extension of the conversion to internet-based services. She also justified the low turnout as the result of demonstrators needing to work or look after their children yesterday.
Co-organizer and lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong told the Times last week that MCDI leaders had expected a turnout of 600, given the signatures on the official Uber ePetition adding to more than 22,600, in addition to an estimated 2,000 Macau-based Uber drivers. Organizers could not have been anything but disappointed with yesterday’s turnout of 250.
Andrew Scott, president of the Macau Taxi Passengers Association (MTPA), told the Times yesterday that, regardless of the turnout, the demonstration will “not make any difference whatsoever.”
“The government made up their mind [on Uber] within 24 hours of [the firm] entering the market,” he said.
Asked whether the rallying of lawmakers to the Uber cause might be linked to opportunism ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections next year, Scott preferred not to comment on the issue. Instead, he highlighted the service’s popularity among residents as the chief reason for their involvement.
“Lawmakers rallied around the app precisely because of its popularity,” explained Scott, “[but] it wouldn’t have been nearly as popular in Macau if the taxis were any good.”
In a statement provided to the Times, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) estimated that the protestors numbered to 200. To manage this, 60 PSP officers were dispatched to the areas between Tap Seac Square and the Government Headquarters. The police also reported that the protest was entirely peaceful and that no illegal incidents occurred.
Uber announced last month that it would shortly be withdrawing from Macau following the hefty driver fines that are now in excess of MOP 10 million. The date penned for the termination of the ride-hailing service is September 9 (Friday).
While Uber’s exit from the Macau market is not unprecedented, it is unusual, making Macau one of the few regions where authorities have been successful in driving the firm out.
Aside from Uber’s recent withdrawal from the mainland China market (in return for a stake in its most prominent China-based competitor, Didi Chuxing), the company was also forced out of Hungary last month after the National Assembly voted to enable websites operating an “illegal taxi service” to be temporarily blocked for up to 365 days.
Uber also faces ejection from Taiwan, after regulators accused the company of misrepresenting its service and subsequently exploiting its license to operate as a business.
The MTPA president believes that the response from governments and transport authorities over the past few months is an indication of trouble ahead for Uber.
“There are a lot of issues with Uber and their destructive corporate culture,” he said. “I do believe that there will be more backlash from authorities [in the future].”
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