Not all people will be meeting taxi leader ComfortDelgro’s addition of taxi rent forgoing. Currently, only SMRT will be increasing the waiver to its taxis for a subsequent month, in accordance with the move by the government to carry on with stay-home directives to beat the COVID-19 pandemic until 1st June.
In the circuit breaker’s initial month, all taxi drivers waived rental, about $100/day/cab. However, on the 22nd of April, a day after the extension of the circuit breaker was declared, ComfortDelGro stated its rental disavowal would carry on for another moon. At the moment, other actors stated they were expected to meet ComfortDelGro’s action.
Trans-Cab, the 2nd biggest taxi operator, told its taxis that it will charge 21.40/day from May 6 to June 1. This resulted in a stir among its operators. Mr. Low Choon Min who is aged 62 stated this: “It’s not fair. Why is it that ComfortDelGro can give free rental, but not Trans-Cab?”
“This definitely does not feel good. My family actually told me to stop driving because it’s just too risky. But I said I have to keep driving to put food on the table,” said another Trans-Cab operator, 52 aged Mr. Tai Choon Wai.
According to Jasmine Tan, the Trans-Cab general manager, the company couldn’t manage to carry on with null rental since this pandemic does not seem to finish by June.
“We cannot use up all our resources. If we do, we will not be able to help our drivers later. We will monitor the situation, and progressively roll out assistance as necessary.”
Premier Taxis and Prime Taxi are yet to declare their plan of operation for the subsequent moon of the circuit breaker. However, Prime chairman Neo Nam Heng stated yesterday that there are chances that they will take the Trans-Cab’s rental route. Private hire drivers have as well not responded to the extension of the waiver.
During the initial month, Gojek provided rental repudiation of up to 60%, and a 100% commission relinquishment. At the same time, Grab executed a 30% rental waiver and a fifty per cent commission reduction.
“We do hope all operators can offer rental waiver or other assistance to drivers for the extended circuit breaker period,” says an adviser to the National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association, Mr Ang Hin Kee.
