The Transport Bureau (DSAT) said yesterday that the owners of 100 new common taxi licences will have to buy green cabs.
The bureau announced details of the bidding process of the 100 new common taxi licences during a press conference at the bureau yesterday.
Common taxis – as opposed to special radio taxis – are colloquially known as “black taxis”.
The press conference was hosted by DSAT Deputy Director Luís Correia Gageiro and several other officials.
The government announced in the Official Gazette (BO) on Monday that it will launch a tender for 100 common taxi licences valid for eight years.
Each person can only bid for one licence, according to Gageiro.
According to an announcement from the bureau yesterday, those who plan to bid for a black taxi licence can submit their bids until March 8. The bidding period started yesterday. DSAT officials will unseal and screen the bids at the Macau Forum in Zape on March 10. The session will be open to the public.
According to the announcement, the minimum bid is set at 200,000 patacas. Each bidder needs to pay a deposit of 50,000 patacas.
According to the bureau’s website, there were 1,492 black taxis in the city at the end of the third quarter of last year.
The last time that a tender for new common taxi licences was launched was in 2016, when the bureau launched bids for 250 licences.
On three previous occasions in which bids for additional black taxi licences were launched – 2014, 2015 and 2016, the highest bid was around one million patacas.
Gageiro said yesterday that the holders of the 100 new black taxi licences will have to use electric vehicles (EVs) for their cabs.
Gageiro also said that the owners of the 100 taxis should set up their own EV charging facilities. He pointed out that119 charging stations have been set up by CEM in some of the city’s public car parks.
The power utility says on its website that it has set up charging stations in 26 public car parks. According to the bureau’s website, there are 43 public car parks in the city.
Gageiro said that the taxi drivers can use the CEM charging stations free of charge after they apply to the company for a card.
Gageiro urged potential bidders to carefully consider whether they will be willing to buy an EV and spare the time to charge their cabs before submitting their bids.
Gageiro also said that the owners will need to install a Global Positioning System (GPS) in their taxis. Data collected from the GPS system will need to be transmitted to the bureau for analysis of the city’s traffic conditions.
Transport Bureau (DSAT) Deputy Director Luís Correia Gageiro addresses yesterday’s press conference about its bidding process for 100 green cabs. Photo: GCS
