Uber announced in a statement yesterday the official launch of its “WeChat Mini Program”* for Macau.
The move particularly aims to “create a seamless, end-to-end ride experience for mainland travellers”, the statement said, highlighting peak upcoming tourism events like the National Day Golden Week (October 1 to October 7) and the 73rd Macau Grand Prix.
After suspending its services in 2017, the US multinational transportation company returned to Macau in February this year with the Uber Meter Taxi. The statement highlighted that since its February launch in Macau, market response has been “exceptionally enthusiastic”, particularly noting that there had been a record high in the number of completed trips in July, “increasing by over five times compared to the initial launch period”, the statement said.
Moreover, from February through August, the statement said, Hongkongers made up the largest share of Macau’s Uber riders, while the remaining top six source markets comprise, as listed in the statement, China’s Taiwan region, the US, South Korea, the Chinese mainland, Japan, and the UK.
The statement also highlighted how demand for Uber Taxis also ties into events, noting that during Hong Kong singer Keung To’s (姜濤) consecutive concerts during the long Dragon Boat Festival weekend, fans from the neighbouring special administrative region travelled to Macau. The statement noted that Hongkongers made up over one third of all users during this period, with peak single-day share reaching 37 percent. Moreover, during four simultaneous concerts on July 4, the statement said that single-day completed trip volumes reached a “historic peak”.
The statement also pointed out that Uber and its fleet partner had reduced the minimum advance booking window for Hong Kong–Macau private car trips from 24 hours to 8 hours (with bookings available up to 90 days in advance).
*The programme enables access to Uber Mini Program, which supports WeChat Pay, linked bank cards, or digital cash balances, the statement said
This image provided by Uber yesterday shows a Macau Uber Meter Taxi parked near the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St. Paul’s.
