Cabbies, private-hire drivers and operators will get an additional $112 million in financial assistance from the Government. New private-hire drivers must be citizens, at least 30 years old
This amount is on the top of a $77 million package, which was announced in February this year. A second tranche of $120 million rolled out in March.
As The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said “the additional aid is to help our P2P (point-to-point) drivers and operators tide over this difficult period”.
The LTA also informed that it has also made changes to the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) criteria to align it with requirements for a Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence. It means that all new PDVL applicants must be Singapore citizens who are at least 30 years old.
Demand for P2P services are currently at 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, the authority said. It also noted that trips are shorter, resulting in lower fares.
Ridership is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels in the near term, it added, as many employees are expected to continue working from home, tourism activities “remain muted” and the current poor economic conditions mean more people will be spending less.
Of the $112 million, $106 million will go towards a six-month extension of the Special Relief Fund (SRF) to March 2021.
The SRF, which started in February, helps active taxi and private-hire drivers defray business costs by providing monthly payouts of $300 per vehicle per month (or $10 per day).
Drivers who are currently receiving SRF payouts will continue to receive SRF payouts during the extended period.