ComfortDelGro, which is Singapore's largest taxi operator, will be waiving taxi rental for all its drivers until May 5, 2020, in a move to help drivers deal with the decreased demand due to Covid-19.
On April 3, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the nation, telling Singaporeans to stay at home as much as possible.
He also announced that most workplaces and retail outlets, except those which provide essential services, would be closed from Apr. 7.
Will supersede previously announced relief measures
Previously, ComfortDelGro announced that it would extend and increase the daily rental relief to help its drivers, with the company's cabbies getting a total daily rental reduction of S$46.50 until the end of April.
On March 30, it announced that this rental relief will be extended to September 2020, a move that that would "effectively push it into the red".
The newly-announced full rental waiver is expected to cost an additional S$19 million, and supersedes the earlier daily rental relief.
The previous relief package, which will run until September 2020, will be reinstated after May 5, 2020.
Altogether, the total relief package for ComfortDelGro drivers is expected to cost up to S$99 million.
"With the closure of non-essential workplaces and schools, our cabbies are going to find it even more difficult to make ends meet. With the full rental waiver, any fare they pick up will go straight to their pockets. We hope that this will help them tide over this incredibly difficult period," said ComfortDelGro Taxi CEO Ang Wei Neng.
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Top image from ComfortDelGro's Facebook page.