Wong Sio Chak links taxi overcharging to Uber operation

A woman leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco, Calif.

Uber’s operation in the territory would exacerbate the already rampant phenomenon of arbitrary charging in the taxi industry, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak claimed yesterday afternoon.
Wong’s remarks came a day after the Public Security Police Force fined two local drivers working for the transportation services company, which started running in Macau last Thursday.
“Legally speaking, Uber probably would rationalize and popularize the individual cases of arbitrary charging found in the legal taxi industry,” said Wong on the sidelines of an inaugural reception for the region’s new commissioner from China. “[This is because] you can’t regulate Uber’s fares in its operations, unlike taxi’s.”
The secretary reiterated the authorities’ firm opposition to the on-call taxi service, which he believed would most likely be prohibited in the region in the near future.
Moreover, he said that the authorities’ main efforts at present were to “improve the legal industry in response to citizens’ expectations towards taxis.” As deliberations over the degree to which current regulation for the taxi industry would be amended within public departments is underway, Wong pledged to eliminate the misconduct prevalent in the taxi industry with the prospective revised ordinance.
The official also cited the taxi drivers’ protest against Uber in Portugal, which involved litigation, as a means of supporting the authorities’ crackdown. “Yet in light of the whole world, at least over half of all countries don’t allow [such operations],” he claimed.
Wong Sio Chak urged citizens to respect the enforcements. “Citizens and companies have their obligations to abide by the laws, and enforcers have their own ones too,” said Wong.
Asked if sting operations would be introduced in the revised law to clamp down on the overcharging taxis, the security official said it would be an open question, yet expressed his belief that the chance of implementation was slim.
He later added that a public consensus might make it happen, while recognizing the need to facilitate investigations into violators with that measure.
The government’s immediate anti-Uber response, which occurred shortly after the firm’s service launch, has caused a stir among the service’s proponents, Wong stressed that the authorities reacted to all illicit operations on the road in the same manner.
They called a press conference yesterday to comment on the Uber operation in Macau, where it was announced that the pair involved in three cases was fined MOP30,000 each. Both drivers were dispatched by a travel agency, which supplies manpower to Uber.
The vehicles adopted for the rides are also registered with the travel agency. One of the arrested individuals is on the firm’s payroll as a tourist guide while the other one was said to be a part-time driver. Both receive daily remuneration of MOP600, TDM reported.
The Tourist Office also noted that travel agencies found supplying vehicles for other parties for non-tourism purposes again would face license revocation. The police authorities also vowed to continue their probe.

Uber: ‘We’re surprised and disappointed’

Reacting to the crackdown on Uber’s ride sharing services in Macau, the company’s spokesperson Harold Li sent the Times the following statement: “Given that we’re working with the same local travel agencies and drivers that have long been providing transportation to Macau residents and visitors, as well as hotels and casinos, and there are clear legal provisions for them to do so, we’re surprised and disappointed at how the police are attempting to prevent drivers from providing such transportation services.
We will continue to work with legal counsel to address what we believe are misunderstandings. Uber stands by our local partner travel agencies and their drivers 100 percent and are continuing to work with them to provide safe and reliable rides to the people of Macau. We’ve been overwhelmed by the tremendous positive response from the Macau public since our launch and will continue to work hard on meeting your transportation needs.”
Regarding pricing, Uber fares are transparently presented to riders before each trip begins, eliminating any uncertainty. If riders encounter any questions or concerns about this or other matters, our customer service team is available 24/7.”