The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced today (September 15) that the government will be injecting an additional S$112 million in financial assistance for taxi operators and private-hire firms.
LTA said in a post on Facebook that the funds will help point-to-point (P2P) drivers and operators “tide over this difficult period”.
This is on top of a a $77 million package announced in February and a second package of S120 million rolled out in March.
The Special Relief Fund (SRF) for P2P drivers will also be extended to March 2021.
Under the fund, drivers can receive S$10 per day per vehicle, or S$300 per vehicle per month.
Taxi operators have also pledged to continue providing matching rental rebates worth an additional S$29 million to their hirers.
On the other hand, P2P operators will receive a special relief of S$2,200 per unhired vehicle to defray the cost of their unhired fleet.
Changes To Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL)
The LTA has also made changes to the PDVL criteria to align it with requirements for a Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence.
With immediate effect, all new PDVL applicants must be Singapore citizens who are at least 30 years old.
“Although the demand for taxis and private hire cars has risen with the start of Phase Two, ridership is not expected to return to pre-COVID levels anytime soon,” said the LTA.
Featured Image Credit: Dollars and Sense
