Earlier this week, Macau Taxi Drivers Mutual Association (MTDMA) president Tony Kuok Leong Son said that “the Association will soon negotiate with the government to seek approval for taxi drivers to increase taxi fares”. Is anyone else surprised that the union is requesting a fair hike when customer service is still struggling at an all-time low?
In Macau, it is clear that since Uber continues to be ‘illegal’ the taxi union has, for lack of a better phrase, ‘free reign’. Taxi drivers frequently continue to refuse fares leaving residents that live in the outer districts of Macau to suffer. Two weeks ago, the Department of Transportation Services (DSAT) removed a critical mode of transportation to the Hac Sa region of Coloane by dropping Bus 25 from its route. Taxi drivers often refuse to take passengers to Hac Sa and now it is not only scary for some residents to request taxi rides to this region for fear of conflict, it is now potentially going to be more expensive to ride in their cars.
All businesses, regardless of customer service, deserve increases in wages based on cost of living and taxi drivers deserve this opportunity as well, but not when the public is constantly requesting and in some cases demanding better service. To be clear, I am not saying that courtesy or kindness is among these demands. Passengers want to ride in taxis without fear of being yelled at, kicked out of the taxi, or put in potentially dangerous situations. I certainly hope that our community can be heard by the committees considering taxi fare increases in order to maintain due diligence.
Our community’s concerns must be considered before wage discussions commence. Kuok said he “he hopes the government can propose a reasonable plan, and hopes that the updated fares can be brought in by this Summer vacation.” The countdown to Summer is looming and I encourage residents to remain vigilant in submitting safety and wellness concerns and enquiries as to the taxi drivers’ unions compensatory plans for higher rates. Higher rates should equal greater responsibility with passenger safety paramount.
Disregard for this basic right should not be ignored; to play devil’s advocate, perhaps higher fares would not be as important if better customer service was implemented. Great customer service is often rewarded by high tips. Imagine the potential euphoria in Macau if all taxi drivers implemented high or even moderate levels of customer service and were tipped accordingly: it would be a wonderful day indeed.