Road Conditions
Visitors to Macau are frequently surprised by the orderly way that traffic moves in this small city. On average some 130,000 vehicles each day take to the narrow and winding roads in an area of under 30 square kilometers, so a well ordered traffic plan has proved vital. Some 80% of the roads are one-way and this ensures that outside the morning and evening peak periods there is little congestion. A plentiful supply of taxis at the airport and ferry terminals together with an excellent public bus service helps with the movement of people at all times. An important feature of which the visitor should be aware is that the traffic in Macau moves on the left hand side of the road!

Macau Peninsular

Public Buses
TRANSMAC and TCM are the two bus companies operating all public buses and mini buses in the city. Bus lines cover almost all the attractions and hotels on the Macau Peninsular and the main tourist spots on the outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane. The bus routes operate on a one-way circuit around the city. This means you would not necessarily have the same stops on a return trip. Ask the bus drivers for details. Most public buses are air-conditioned middle-sized vehicles capable of carrying more than 20 people. There are no conductors so it is necessary for you to have the appropriate change in coins before getting on a bus. For the trip within the Macau Peninsular, the fare is 2.5 MOP$. Several bus lines going further to the islands of Taipa and Coloane charge three to five Macanese dollars. The trip to Macau International Airport on the island of Taipa from the Macau Peninsular is six MOP$. The operating hours of most buses are from 6:00 to 24:00.

Bus Nos. 21, 21A, 25, 26 and 26A run between the Macau Peninsular and islands of Taipa and Coloane
Bus Nos. 11, 22, 28A, 33 and 34 run between the Macau Peninsular and island of Taipa.
API is a special line plying between the Macau International Airport on the island of Taipa and the Macau Peninsular

For detailed bus route info of TRANSMAC, please click http://www.transmac.com.mo/busroute.htm

Tip: We suggest travelers try to avoid the peak morning and evening traffic periods when people crowd onto buses to go to work or return home. All bus stop signs have bus route descriptions in both Chinese and Portuguese. English versions of the local map can be obtained from the counters of the Macau Tourist Bureau on Senado Square in the downtown area of the city.

Taxi
At present, there are over 700 taxi cars in Macau and they are a convenient way of transportation in the city. Taxis in Macau are in two colors, black and yellow. The black cars have a pale yellow top on each and the services of the yellow cars can be arranged through telephone booking without extra cost. The phone is (853) 519519

The fares for both cars start from 10 MOP$ for the first 1,500 meters and 1 MOP$ is added for additional every 250 meters. 1 MOP$ is charged per minute for waiting. For one piece of luggage carried in the boot, you need to pay 3 MOP$.

A taxi trip from the Macau Peninsular to the outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane costs extra five Pataca, in addition to the meter and for the taxi trip from Taipa to Coloane, two Pataca is surcharged. However, no surcharge is made for any return trips from outlying islands of either Taipa or Coloane to the Macau Peninsular.

A single taxi trip from the Macau Peninsular to Hac Sa Beach in Coloane costs about 80 MOP$.

Local maps with information in Chinese, Portuguese and English are supplied to taxi drivers by the Macau Tourism Administration Bureau so that they can communicate with visitors about the places and routes in the city. As a rule you can get as much information as you need from this 'tour guide'.

Sightseeing Vehicle
Macau is a small city that enables tourists to enjoy their visit by means of special tourist vehicles that include pedicabs and a replica of an old-style 1920s English bus.

Outlying Islands

Although the transportation on the outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane is not as extensive as that on the Macau Peninsular, public buses of TCM and TRANSMAC ply between the Macau Peninsular, Taipa and Coloane at three to five MOP$ and cover the main sightseeing spots on the islands. The operating time is from 7:00 to 24:00.

Taxis inside the island areas charge the same as those on the Macau Peninsular. No extra fee is charged for the transit from the islands to the Peninsular.

Hotels on the island of Taipa have special buses leaving for the Macau Ferry Terminal.

In the Municipal Garden in the Taipa Village, there are some bicycle rental shops that provide for cycling tourists.