Uber’s re-entry in Macau, and how it is making available Uber rides from Hong Kong to the ex-Portuguese enclave, has been successful so far. You’ll be able to start booking rides between the two Chinese cities anytime soon.
However, the world’s number one ridesharing app is taking things further by “actively investigating” routes across Greater China on top of the route between Hong Kong and Macau. Will we see Uber in Taiwan, too?
Greater China is an economic and cultural term that pertains to that region encompassing Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This term highlights the shared linguistic, cultural, and business ties between these areas, often utilized in business to describe the integrated economic zone.
Dom Taylor, the general manager of Uber Asia-Pacific, sat down for an interview with CNBC, saying that Uber’s re-entry into Macau’s market has been going successfully so far, and “that they’re looking to grow their driver base aggressively over the next few months.”
In particular, the company is actively investigating more cross-border or intercity routes within Greater China.
Speaking live from Tokyo, Taylor was asked, “Why is Uber re-entering a market that it left about a decade ago, and why now?”
“[Well, it’s great to be here.] What we’re seeing right across the Asian markets that I covered is that tourists are coming to Asia, from within Asia, and overseas, and they want to have the experience they expect when they get off the plane, and all the cruise terminal, [and that is Uber to move around those cities],” Taylor explained. “Macau is a big gap in our portfolio as it stood, and so we launched the new product there to help people move from Hong Kong to Macau, [and conversely], but also to help people get around Macau…”
Uber also presented data saying that there will be door-to-door limousine rides for travel between Hong Kong and Macau. So, that’s luxurious.
On top of this, Uber also further said it is rolling out autonomous car services in Hong Kong towards the end of this year, 2026.
In a previous report here, Uber is taking advantage of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to provide rides from Hong Kong to Macau. This will make transit between these cities so much easier as opposed to the time-consuming and usual mode of taking a ferry ride.
Uber recently unveiled its newest Intercity Trip between Hong Kong and Macau. With this, travelers can use the Uber app to pre-book direct transfers from addresses in Hong Kong to Macau.
The process is quite different, though. Unlike hailing an Uber, such as stepping out of your building’s elevator, rides to Macau should be pre-booked at least 24 hours in advance, and up to 90 days ahead of your departure.
So, all’s been said and done so far. But, Uber might find this undertaking a challenge since there are currently several key players in the locality that competing with them could be tough, such as Meituan, on top of the other ridesharing apps in mainland China and Hong Kong. For more ridesharing news, sign up for that account on this Ridesharing Forum site to join the discussions!