The sole candidate for Macau’s sixth-term chief executive, Sam Hou Fai, underlines in his election manifesto the importance of the continuous enhancement of the public transport system in the next five years and, in responding to a reporter’s question on Saturday about the viability of legalising online ride-hailing services in the future, he stressed the “crucial” need for the expansion of Macau’s Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, saying that after the start of operations of the LRT East Line connecting Taipa Ferry Terminal Station with the Qingmao checkpoint at the northern tip of the Macau peninsula in the future, the next step should be to consider extending the LRT system to Lam Mau Tong, Ha Van (Praia do Manduco) and Barra (Ma Kok) in the southern Inner Harbour area, and even studying the feasibility of extending it to the Macau side of the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge – colloquially known as the “old bridge”.
According to previous news reports, the LRT East Line is a route officially proposed in the 2020 Policy Address by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, with a total length of about 7.7 kilometres and a total of six underground stations, running in a north-south direction, passing through the Zone A and E land reclamation areas to connect with the Taipa Line, which will then link up with the Barrier Gate checkpoint, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, the local airport and the Hengqin checkpoint, aiming to meet the transport needs of residents and tourists entering and exiting Macau. The construction of the LRT East Line started last year, and is planned to be completed in 2028 and start operating in 2029. The Public Works Bureau (DSOP) said in a statement earlier this month that benefiting from the advantageous construction conditions of the V-shaped area at the Barrier Gate, the LRT East Line has successfully shifted the ES1 station further to the north and enhanced the convenience of transport interchanges, creating favourable conditions for the future extension of the LRT to the west to the Qingmao checkpoint.
After addressing the “Presentation and Question-and-Answer Session on the Political Platform of the Candidate” for the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee on Saturday morning, Sam held an hour-long press conference from 1:45 p.m. that day to respond to reporters’ questions on his manifesto, during which he was asked about the difficulties faced by tourists and residents in hailing a taxi and whether he would study the feasibility of legalising online ride-hailing services through licensing arrangements in the future.
Sam said: “In solving Macau’s transport problems, the next government needs to study how its transport system can be interconnected,” adding that it was “unrealistic” to undertake large-scale projects such as road widening, the construction of an underground system and issuing district-based taxi driver licences in such a small place as Macau, “so as a next step, we have to think about how to formulate a proper plan for the construction of the ongoing LRT system”.
He referred to Macau’s number of visitor arrivals logged in the first eight months this year when underlining the close connection between Macau’s rapid economic development and the increase in the flow of people and passengers since its return to the motherland on December 20, 1999: “Since reunification, Macau’s economy has developed rapidly, its society has opened to the outside world, and the footfall has increased. Between January and August this year, the number of visitors to Macau reached more than 23 million, and the figure in August stood at 3.65 million, surpassing the level of the same period in pre-pandemic 2019”.
Sam went on to say that the trouble in hailing a taxi has been bothering residents and tourists for a long time, and which was something that everyone told him they were hoping the next government could solve: “Over the past month, I have been in contact with various sectors of society, and the transport problem of Macau is the one that they all unanimously hope that the next government can solve,” adding that he has received quite a number of views proposing the legalisation of online ride-hailing services in Macau. He also said that he heard some locals’ comments that likened the chance of hailing a taxi such as at the airport to hitting the jackpot.
Sam pointed out that Macau’s transport network, including the LRT network, public buses, casino shuttle buses run by the city’s integrated resort (IR) operators and the increasing amount of taxis failed to accommodate the city’s holiday crowds at various border checkpoints and streets, with the appearance of long queues at taxi ranks in the city centre, adding that Macau must continue to expand its pedestrian facilities and open up bus connections to make it easier for residents to get around and for tourists to enter the city’s various neighbourhoods.
Speaking to the media yesterday morning when attending the Macau Bridge walk, Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San pointed out that the number of taxis in Macau continues to increase, with now about 1,500 taxis being in operation and another 50 new taxis to be put into service in the near future, adding that once all the 500 new taxi licences granted late last year are put into service, the number of taxis will rise to about 1,800.
Referring to the predicament that taxis do not tend to enter people’s living areas, Sam said: “Macau is so small that it is impossible to issue taxi driver licences on a zonal basis like Hong Kong” and, therefore, he added, Macau needed to broaden its mindset and try its best to tackle such the thorny issue. He also said that he welcomed suggestions from all sectors in Macau and even visitors in solving the problem together.
Public hearing on Saturday, registrations now open
Meanwhile, the Sam Hou Fai Election Campaign Office announced in a statement yesterday the holding of a public hearing at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Hou Kong Middle School on Estrada Ferreira do Amaral, inviting members of the public to register to take part in an exchange of views about his election campaign manifesto.
According to the statement, the public hearing is limited to 400 participants. Local residents aged 18 or above can now register through the Kong Seng or Macau Ticketing website at https://www.macauticket.com/enrollment until 8 p.m. tomorrow (National Day), with the drawing of lots to be held at 4 p.m. the following day (October 2) if the number of registrants exceeds the number of places available, while the results will be announced at 8:30 p.m. on the same day.
The sole candidate for Macau’s sixth-term chief executive Sam Hou Fai addresses Saturday afternoon’s press conference after the “Presentation and Question-and-Answer Session on the Political Platform of the Candidate” for the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee, at the Forum Macao Complex in Nam Van. Sam’s election campaign manifesto’s aims are summarised behind him in Chinese and Portuguese: Endeavour, Solidarity, Persistence, Innovation – Photo: Tony Wong
