Following the Government’s announcement last week of a Point-to-Point Support Package (PPSP) for taxi and private-hire drivers during the COVID-19 outbreak, Grab today (21 Feb) said it will commit over S$17 million to safeguard its driver-partners’ income and well-being.
This comprises three initiatives:
- Weekly Cover of up to S$85/week to supplement Grab driver-partners’ fare earnings
- Complimentary driver care insurance offering S$500 to S$1,000 lump sum payout if diagnosed with the coronavirus
- Additional income support including one-time payouts, vehicle rental waivers and Prolonged Medical Leave claims for driver-partners who are hospitalised, quarantined or on leave of absence
Grab has launched its Weekly Cover as part of the Special Relief Fund under the PPSP, in which the Government is providing S$10 per vehicle per day to eligible drivers from 2 March to 30 May 2020.
Grab’s Weekly Cover will offer driver-partners up to S$85 per week for the same period, on top of the Government’s contribution.
To qualify, driver-partners must have completed at least 200 Grab trips per month between Oct 2019 and Dec 2019.
On Grab’s website, the firm further states that driver-partners under the Emerald and Ruby tiers will receive S$45 per week, while those in Sapphire and Diamond tiers will receive S$85 per week.
Driver-partners who qualify for the higher S$85 per week payouts will essentially get S$155 per week in total, or “about S$2,000 for the entire period”.
Payouts will start weekly from 9 March 2020.
In addition to meeting the initial eligibility criteria, Grab driver-partners also have to maintain a number of conditions to continue receiving the payouts weekly.
They will have to maintain at least a 90 per cent acceptance rate, 10 per cent or lower cancellation rate, at least 4.5 star driver rating, and earn at least 80 GEMS per week.
Said Grab Singapore Head of Transport, Andrew Chan, “The newly launched Weekly Cover is designed to provide our driver-partners with more earnings security.”
“We hope the new programme will provide more stability and assurance to our active driver-partners. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide more assistance where required.”
Featured Image Credit: Grab