Macao’s taxi fleet to get a boost next year

Macao’s taxi fleet is set to gradually increase by up to 700 vehicles between the second and third quarter of 2027. This comes after the Transport Bureau carried out a public tender yesterday for 14 taxi licenses, allowing each holder to operate up to 50 vehicles for a period of eight years. 

In a statement yesterday, the Transport Bureau said it had accepted 46 out of the 47 bids that were made. Bidding prices ranged between 2.5 million patacas and 6.23 million patacas. 

The department noted that the new taxi licenses were introduced to shore up Macao’s taxi fleet, which will see a dip in number due to the expiry of some contracts.

“Currently, there are 1,553 taxis operating in Macao,” Pang Man Kin, the acting head of the Transport Bureau’s transport management division, said to local media. “Around 303 of those are expected to reach the end of their contract period in 2028 and this tender is intended to replenish those numbers.” 

Pang added that the requirements and guidelines for the current taxi tender were largely the same as the 2023 edition. One major change is the requirement that winning companies make use of online ridehailing platforms authorised by the government. 

Companies awarded a license will be required to operate hybrid or clean energy vehicles that have six or more seats. As well, each license holder must have at least two taxis in their fleet that can carry individuals with mobility issues. Under this regulation, the number of new accessibility taxis on Macao’s road will total at least 28. 

The Transport Bureau said it intends to announce the results of Macao’s taxi fleet tender by the fourth quarter of this year. 

Macao’s taxi fleet: new vehicles on the road

According to local media, bidding companies included Companhia de Serviços de Táxi San Veng Fat, Macao (Guangdong) Luen Wai Passenger Transport Corporation, On Sam – Sociedade de Táxi Unipessoal, and Companhia de Táxi Yip Kai Kou Macau. 

The current tender comes after Macao’s secretary for transport and public works, Raymond Tam, announced plans during a legislative assembly session in December 2025 to increase Macao’s taxi fleet to around 2,000. 

At the time, Tam said the government was looking to boost the current fleet of over 1,400 taxis by 100 in the short term, followed by a tender that would introduce around 700 new vehicles. 

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Macao has long suffered from a shortage of taxis that has made it difficult for visitors and residents to hail a cab. Recently, the situation saw an improvement, thanks to efforts such as the introduction of Uber taxis in the city earlier this year. 

Based on the latest publicly available data from the Transport Bureau, there were 1,454 taxis operating in Macao at the end of the first quarter of this year. This included 1,254 standard black taxis, 173 standard-sized special taxis, 10 large-sized special taxis, 7 barrier-free taxis and 10 taxis with motorised mobility seats.