With Singapore entering Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period from 22 July to 18 August 2021, taxi and private hire car (PHC) ridership is expected to decline significantly due to tighter safe management measures. Based on the experience from the last Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period from 16 May to 13 June 2021, ridership will take time to recover after the relaxation of measures. To support taxi and PHC drivers through this period, the Government will be providing an additional $30 million to enhance the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund[1] (CDRF).
Currently, the extended CDRF provides support for drivers with $10 per vehicle per day for 60 days from July 2021, and $5 per vehicle per day for the next 30 days. Under this latest enhancement, eligible drivers will receive an additional $10 per vehicle per day from 22 July 2021 to 31 August 2021, and an additional $5 per vehicle per day in September 2021.
This comes on top of the $40 million which the Government had already committed for the 3-month extension[2] of CDRF announced on 10 June 2021 and brings the total amount set aside for taxi and PHC sectors to $482 million since February 2020.
LTA will work with the taxi and PHC operators to implement the latest CDRF enhancement over the next two weeks, and operators will inform drivers of disbursement details in due course. All taxi and PHC drivers who are currently receiving CDRF payouts will automatically receive the enhancement through their operators. There is no need for drivers to make an application.
Support for taxi and PHC drivers on Quarantine Orders
For drivers who are served Quarantine Orders (QOs) after coming into close contact with individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 infection, MOH will continue to administer the Quarantine Order Allowance Scheme. Taxi and PHC operators as well as the National Taxi Association (NTA), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) will also continue to provide their own relief packages to affected drivers.
We would like to thank our tripartite partners, including NTA, NPHVA and taxi and PHC operators, for working closely with LTA to continue to support taxi and PHC drivers during this challenging period.
[1] Details on the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund, including eligibility criteria, are available on LTA’s website (https://go.gov.sg/cdrf-info).
[2] Government Sets Aside Additional $40 Million For Continued Support For Taxi and Private Hire Car Drivers (10 June 2021)
