Macau | Reported taxi infractions down 32.8 pct m-on-m in August

Macau (MNA) – The Public Security Police Force (PSP) filed 355 taxi infractions during the month of August, registering a decrease of 32.8 per cent month-on-month.

According to data released on Wednesday, when compared to the number of infractions posted last year (509), the number of infractions committed during the same period in 2018 had declined 39.8 per cent.

Police noted that about 62 per cent, or 220, of total taxi infractions were related to overcharging passengers, while 19 per cent, or 68 cases, were related to refusal to carry passengers.

The number of cases involving other types of infraction reached 67, or 19 per cent of the total.

During the month, police cracked down on 24 cases of illegal taxi operations.

The taxi sector has been under fire due to various reported cases of unacceptable behaviour by drivers, especially concerning overcharging and refusal to take passengers plus a few cases of retaining passengers against their will.

The Macau SAR Government is currently working on a new legislation proposal applying stricter fines to taxi driver offenders and will allow the sector to be operated by company-run licence holders only – a suggestion that has been roundly criticised by local taxi drivers.