SERDANG: A total of 67,000 taxi drivers nationwide are set to receive the 1Malaysia Taxi Assistance Card (Kad Bantuan Teksi 1Malaysia), worth RM800 each, as part of the government’s efforts to boost the competitiveness level of the group.
In making the announcement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the aid would be disbursed via the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and Finance Ministry.
The aid involves an allocation of RM53.6 million and has been distributed in stages from today.
The card, said Najib, enables taxi drivers to fill up their taxis with NGV or petrol at any Petronas station nationwide.
“The assistance card also qualifies taxi drivers for other benefits under the Petronas Mesra loyalty programme, which includes personal accident insurance coverage up to RM50,000,” he said when presenting the assistance cards to taxi drivers at a gathering with SPAD staff at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang on Friday.
Present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and acting chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.
About 10,000 taxi drivers also attended the event.
He said the aid is a form of recognition of the role of taxi drivers in the nation’s public transport industry, as well as an acknowledgement that fuel is an essential component in the operation of the taxi industry.
The prime minister also presented more goodies for the taxi drivers, in the form of 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M).
Najib said that in the past, some taxi drivers were not able to receive BR1M as they were registered as company owners under the Malaysian Companies Commission (SSM).
Najib said the government has taken note of their situation and complaints, and decided that it was unfair for some taxi drivers not to receive BR1M.
“Therefore, the government has decided for all taxi drivers nationwide who are eligible to apply for BR1M, will automatically receive the aid,” he added.
Najib also touched on the e-haling issue, which had become a thorn in the side for taxi drivers, who had claimed that their livelihood had been affected. Najib said the cabinet, on April 6, had decided to enforce policies that will regulate the e-hailing industry in the second quarter of 2018.
“Our objective is to create a level playing field where all taxi service practitioners, rental cars and e-hailing drivers must be subject to equal terms and conditions.
“Since I took on the country’s leadership, I have witnessed many injustices towards taxi drivers, especially on the capital tax, which is a burden. It was also described as ‘modern day slavery’.”
“I ask SPAD to find a way and submit a proposal to the government (to resolve this). The government, under the Taxi Industry Transformation Programme (TITP), has agreed to give individual licences to taxi drivers who are leaving the lease system.”
In the 2017 Budget, the government announced a RM150 million allocation for the cash grant initiative, amounting to RM5,000 for each taxi driver.
In the recent 2018 Budget, the government announced that all registered taxi drivers who wished to join e-hailing services would also be given a cash grant amounting to RM5,000 to assist them in buying a new car.