RM1,000 Aid To Help Taxi, Rental Car, School Bus Drivers Meet Daily Needs

KUALA LUMPUR,  Oct 14 (Bernama) -- The one-off RM1,000 financial aid for taxi, rental car and school bus drivers, being disbursed from today, will help recipients cover household expenses and carry out long-delayed vehicle repairs.

Chairman of the Kuala Terengganu and Marang Taxi Drivers Association, Ramli Mohd Don, said the assistance is particularly valuable given the meagre daily earnings of taxi drivers.

“Some earn RM20 a day, while many return home empty-handed after a shift. Such is our plight right now. But what can we do? This is the only work we know,” he said when met at the Taxi and Rental Car Station in Kuala Terengganu.

He said the aid would benefit more than 50 taxi and rental car operators in Terengganu who were facing various financial pressures.

Yusoff Maulad Ishak, 64, a taxi driver from Marang, said he would use the money to replace his car tyres and buy groceries.

In PAHANG,  East Pahang Taxi and Rental Car Drivers Association chairman Mat Yasin Talib welcomed the MADANI government's initiative, saying it would ease the financial burden on drivers struggling to earn a sufficient income amid declining demand for their services.

“Times are truly tough for those of us who rely on taxis. Sometimes, we earn only RM10 in a whole week,” he said.

In KELANTAN, taxi driver Abdullah Awang, 71, said taxi services were becoming less popular as more people owned private vehicles or opted for e-hailing services and buses.

“This assistance means a great deal to us, as there are times when we do not get a single customer all day. The money will not only help cover immediate needs but can also be used to repair our cars, most of which are old and worn out,” he said.

In SELANGOR, Gabungan Teksi Malaysia (GTSM) president Kamarudin Hussain said the aid would benefit between 7,000 and 8,000 taxi and rental car drivers in the state, including about 3,000 in rural areas such as Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam and Hulu Selangor.

He said most of the drivers were aged 50 and above and required special government attention to help sustain their livelihoods.

Kamarudin, who is also deputy chairman of the Malaysian Taxi Drivers Transformation Association (PERSIM), urged eligible drivers to renew their driver cards and update their details to facilitate the smooth distribution of the aid.

He also proposed that the government establish a Malaysian Taxi Foundation to serve as a one-stop centre and academy, as well as introduce special motor or commercial insurance schemes to support drivers.

Meanwhile, in KEDAH, school bus driver Azmi Abu Bakar, 56, said the assistance would help him cover vehicle maintenance costs that he had previously been forced to defer.

“There were parts I had to put off replacing due to a lack of funds. However, I would sometimes manage to get it done anyway because passenger safety is at stake; so, with this aid, I can do a lot to repair the school bus I have been driving for over seven years,” he said.

During the Budget 2027 presentation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a one-off RM1,000 financial aid payment for about 38,000 taxi and rental car drivers and 15,000 school bus drivers, with disbursements to be made in stages.

Today, Anwar attended the inaugural aid presentation ceremony, involving 500 taxi, rental car and school bus drivers from the Central Zone as symbolic recipients of the initiative.

-- BERNAMA