Appeals Received for COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the status of appeals for the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF) and whether the 200-trip monthly eligibility criterion can be adjusted to include delivery trips. Minister for Transport S Iswaran reported that between January and May 2021, the Land Transport Authority acceded to 190 out of 850 appeals, with rejections primarily involving new drivers or those lacking valid reasons for missing the threshold. The Minister explained that the trip requirement ensures relief is targeted at active drivers who rely on taxi or private hire car services as their main source of income. While assessing appeals, authorities consider factors such as delivery trips performed, medical conditions, and compassionate grounds alongside the prevailing impact of COVID-19 on ridership. Finally, the response noted that some drivers who were ineligible for previous tranches might qualify for the extended CDRF payouts starting in July.
Transcript
71 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport (a) to date, how many appeals have been received for the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF); (b) what are the numbers of successful and unsuccessful appeals against the total number of private hire car (PHC) drivers; and (c) whether the CDRF criterion of an average of 200 trips per month from 1 October to 31 December 2020 can be reviewed downwards due to the fall in ridership and to include delivery trips undertaken by these drivers.
Mr S Iswaran: The COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF) is a targeted relief scheme to support active taxi and private hire car (PHC) drivers through this period of low ridership due to COVID-19 so that drivers can continue to provide taxi and PHC services for commuters.
A minimum trip criterion is stipulated to ensure that the CDRF is provided to existing drivers who are dependent on driving as their main source of income. Drivers need to have completed an average of 200 trips per month during the qualifying periods in order to qualify for the CDRF.
Between January and May 2021, LTA received appeals from 850 drivers who did not qualify for the CDRF and acceded to about 190 of them. Of the about 660 appeals that were rejected, around half could not provide valid reasons for failing to meet the minimum trip criterion, and another about 300 were new drivers who recently joined the sector after December 2020 and were not active drivers during the qualifying months for previous tranches. Some of these drivers, however, may qualify for the payouts under the extended CDRF starting in July.
LTA takes into consideration several factors when assessing appeals, including the impact of the prevailing COVID-19 situation on taxi and PHC ridership during the qualifying months. As part of the appeal process, factors such as the number of delivery trips performed by drivers, as well as medical and compassionate grounds are considered.