Highest bid for taxi licence: MOP1.05 mln

The government opened 643 tenders for 200 eight-year taxi licences yesterday. The highest winning bid was MOP1,051,888 with the lowest MOP868,008. Deputy vice director of the Transport Bureau (DSAT) Luís Correia Gageiro said that this year the competition for the 200 licences had not been as fierce, which he believes was due to increasing operation and maintenance cost of running a taxi, as well as the complicated traffic conditions in Macau. Some bidders said the average rent for a taxi licence was around MOP20,000 per month, which means a return of about MOP2 million for eight years, which they consider a good investment, according to TDM Radio. Some casino workers bid for a licence in the hope of changing career. Some were taxi drivers that wanted to own a licence themselves, avoiding rental and increasing income. The deputy vice director of DSAT added that currently there are 13,000 licensed taxi drivers in Macau. The openings for exams for acquiring the licence are full until the end of this year. The authorities will hold two more exams in October and November so that examinees can get their licence as soon as possible.