Additional $16 million to Support Taxi and Private Hire Car Drivers
The Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced today that Singapore would enter the Transition Phase. Under this phase, social gatherings of up to five people from different households will be allowed in all settings. However, as work-from-home will continue to be the default, the Government has announced another targeted financial support package.
2 Currently, the CDRF provides support for drivers with $10 per vehicle per day for 30 days in November 2021, and $5 per vehicle per day from December 2021. As part of the Government’s support package, the Government will increase the current tranche of CDRF for December 2021 and extend the CDRF when the current tranche ends after December 2021. Eligible drivers will receive $10 per vehicle per day for 31 days in December 2021 (i.e. an additional $5 per vehicle per day), and $5 per vehicle per day for 31 days from January 2022.
3 The enhancement and extension of CDRF is expected to benefit about 50,000 drivers. This will cost an additional $16 million, and brings the total amount set aside by the Government for the taxi and PHC sectors to more than $530 million since February 2020. On top of the Government’s assistance, taxi operators have pledged to continue rental waivers for drivers.
4 Similar to earlier CDRF tranches, there is no need for drivers to make an application to receive the payouts. Drivers who are currently receiving CDRF payouts will automatically receive the extended payouts through their operators. Taxi main hirers will continue to receive payouts in the form of rental rebates, while PHC drivers will receive the payouts through their e-wallets or directly into their bank accounts. LTA will work with the taxi and PHC operators to implement the latest CDRF payouts, and operators will inform drivers of disbursement details in due course.
5 Drivers who do not qualify for CDRF, including taxi relief drivers, may apply for the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) if they meet its eligibility criteria[1]. Drivers will not be eligible for the CRG if they are receiving CDRF payouts.
6 We would like to thank our tripartite partners, including the National Taxi Association, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, and the taxi and PHC operators, for working closely with LTA to continue to support taxi and PHC drivers during this challenging period.
