Five LRT and bus passengers were asked by The Macau Post Daily yesterday about their willingness to use the Light Rail Transit (LRT) after the announcement on Monday that passengers can use their Macau Pass for the ride and enjoy the same discounts as holders of LRT cards, with some saying that they may consider taking the LRT “once or twice” as the current route was “too limited” and, therefore, inconvenient for them to travel to places beyond Taipa and Cotai, apart from the long waiting time for each train to arrive.
Three of the interviewees were interviewed while travelling separately on different LRT trains, while the other two were waiting for a bus to the peninsula at the stops under the Stadium and MUST stations in Taipa respectively.
One of the interviewees on the train surnamed Cheong, who lives in Taipa, said that he takes the LRT frequently, even before its was suspended for repairs for several months, as it is convenient for him to go to his workplace or travel around Taipa when he is on holiday. However, he said that he was unsure about the new Macau Pass measure as there are no notices at the station entrances, adding that he bought an LRT card when the system started, but said he would now use his Macau Pass instead as it can be used for bus trips as well. Cheong also said that the number of people taking the LRT yesterday was the same as before with just around two to 12 passengers per train, most of them tourists or casino-hotel resort staff.
The other two interviewees, surnamed Wu and Lei, also live in Taipa. Speaking separately to The Macau Post Daily, both said that although they were aware of the new Macau Pass measure, they would keep using their LRT cards. Wu said that he takes public transport only when he lends his car to friends, so the new measure doesn’t really benefit him, while Lei said she got an LRT card when she reached the age of 65 and that she does not need to pay for the rides as the LRT card for the elderly is free of charge. She also said that she prefers to catch a bus rather than take the LRT as it takes a long time to wait for the trains as they only depart at 15-minute intervals. Lei told The Macau Post Daily that the number of passengers yesterday was higher than she had expected, and she urged the government to extend the LRT system to Macau as soon as possible if it wants more people to take the LRT. However, Lei said she expected that now being able to pay with Macau Pass will increase the number of passengers.
Meanwhile, the two bus-stop interviewees, surnamed Zhou, a non-resident worker, and Wu, a student from the mainland, said separately that they have never taken the LRT as they live on the peninsula even though they work and study in Taipa respectively. However, they said that with the discount provided by using Macau Pass, they might take the LRT when visiting the Cotai casino-hotel resorts or shopping at their malls. Zhou said that around 70 workers in his company have never taken the LRT.
This picture shows two students passing through the turnstiles at the LRT’s Stadium station in Taipa yesterday. Photo: Yuki Lei
