PUTRAJAYA: It is not easy for the government to return all its revenue to the people as aid, but taxi drivers have specific needs that must be addressed, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said taxi drivers face far more competition now than in the past.
“We need to look into the problems faced by taxi drivers and find ways to help them, including taking into account rising fuel and operating costs.”
He explained that the government could not simply return its revenue to the people as it needs the money to fund public services such as children’s education and hospitals.
Anwar made the statement at the launch of the RM1,000 special financial aid at the Transport Ministry here yesterday.
The event saw about 500 drivers receiving the assistance in the form of contribution vouchers.
In his speech, Anwar said he could not turn down the proposal because taxi drivers had been among his most loyal supporters when he was arrested in 1998.
“Now that I am Prime Minister and Loke proposes an extra RM1,000, how could I refuse?”
The aid, announced in Budget 2027, is funded by the sale of special “H” series vehicle registration numbers, which has raised RM91.2mil.
The Transport Ministry said the proceeds had been collected this year, allowing distribution to begin before the Budget is passed.
Its minister Anthony Loke said taxi, hire car and school bus drivers would receive the aid without having to register or fill in forms.
He said their details are already held by the Road Transport Department, the Land Public Transport Agency and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board.
“We know who our drivers are. There is no need to register again and no need to fill in forms.
“We will process it for all who are eligible,” he said, promising that all eligible drivers would receive the one-off aid by Deepavali (Nov 8) at the latest.
He said yesterday’s handover ceremony was symbolic, as the ministry could not gather all 50,000 drivers in one place.
The next handover would be held in Penang on Saturday, while the remaining payments would be made via electronic transfer, he said.
Drivers who were left out could submit their names through their associations for verification.
On the “H” series plates, Loke said the ministry had initially projected it to raise no more than RM30mil.
“But it turned out we got a new record of RM91mil,” he said, adding that “H1” alone had fetched RM10mil, the highest price ever paid for a vehicle registration number in the country.
