Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man has ordered an internal investigation into the Transport Bureau’s (DSAT) supervision of the concessionaire that has been operating the city’s radio taxi services since 2017, in the wake of a hard-hitting report published by the Commission of Audit (CA) slamming the bureau’s failure to ensure that the company met the officially required minimum number of taxis in operation at different times of the day stipulated by the concession’s agreement.
Tam made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, after the commission published the report on Friday.
The government granted two concessions for the city’s radio taxi services, which were granted to the same company, Macau Radio Taxi Services Limited, at two different times. The first concession, with 100 radio taxis, commenced on April 1, 2017 and is now scheduled to expire on September 30 this year, while the second concession, with 200 radio taxis, began on December 1, 2019 and is now scheduled to end on May 31, 2028.
The company’s taxis are not allowed to pick up those hailing a cab in the street. To use the company’s ride-hailing service, prospective passengers can phone its call centre or use its own mobile ride-hailing app.
The audit report says that the bureau’s failure to properly exercise its supervision duty was a reason for the government’s failure to meet its goal of making it easier for residents to get a taxi by granting the company the concession for radio taxi services, officially known as special taxi services.
Tam said in his statement said that the bureau was to blame for the case revealed by the audit report, adding that the government has launched an internal investigation into the matter.
Tam underlined that the government will handle the matter “in a serious manner with zero tolerance”.
A radio taxi drives along Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues in Zape, near its entrance to Guia Hill Tunnel, on Friday. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
