Additional $23.5 million of support for taxi, private-hire drivers announced as Singapore tightens restrictions again

As Singapore braces itself for yet another round of tightened social restrictions against a backdrop of surging case numbers, the LTA announced on Sept 24, 2021 that another $23.5 million will be pumped into the Covid-19 Drivers Relief Fund.

In this latest round of relief funding, private-hire vehicle and taxi drivers will receive $10 a day from Oct 1-31, 2021, which will then be adjusted to $5 a day for the entire month of November.

Notably, the authorities are exercising extra caution and extending funding past the projected timeline for social restrictions. Downsized group sizes for social gatherings and dining in - from five to two people - are currently planned to last only up to Oct 25, 2021.

The authorities have not hesitated in dipping into funds to financially support point-to-point drivers, whose earnings have taken a serious hit since the pandemic started.

Point-to-point drivers are still in the midst of receiving a daily $5 pay-out for the month of September from a $30 million payout scheme announced by the LTA in July this year.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.