Temenggong thanks govt for alleviating people’s sufferings during MCO
3.0 was not extended to e-hailing drivers.
He opined that the aid should be made available to them as they provide the same services like other transport services which have licences and work permits.
“I hope that the state government would study this matter and extend the aid to ehailing drivers,” he added.
Last Sunday, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said the state government should extend the aid to registered e-hailing drivers suffering from drastic income reduction due to Covid-19 pandemic and the MCO.
Although he welcomed the announcement of the aid by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg which did include a special one-off payment of RM600 incentive for taxi and van drivers, he urged the state government to also expand it to e-hailing drivers as they were part of the state’s tourism ecosystem which was affected due to the pandemic and the MCO.
“Under the new regulations, ehailing drivers were also required to get proper insurance, licensing and even examinations, similar to the taxi operators. Due to the lack of public transportation in our city, a huge majority of tourists also use such services to get around, including going to the touristic spots in our state.
“That is why I feel they should also be afforded this incentive as they are also part of that whole tourism ecosystem and play an important role in advancing our tourism industry.”