Taxi drivers to get MOP12,000 max subsidizing fuel costs

Local taxi drivers, provided that they meet certain criteria, are entitled to a maximum MOP12,000 fuel subsidy, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced yesterday.

The subsidy is a one-off support measure, DSAT added.

The sum of money is part of the overall MOP10 billion employment subsidy scheme announced by the government on June 19, a day after the recent Covid-19 outbreak commenced.

The criteria that a driver should meet so that they will be entitled to the one-off subsidy includes the possession of a taxi driver license issued by DSAT between January 1 and July 31, 2022. In addition, they should have worked for at least 35 hours during the aforementioned period. Moreover, the fuel subsidy and the overall employment subsidy are mutually exclusive, meaning that a driver meeting the first criteria will only be entitled to either one subsidy or the other.

The overall subsidy will issue monetary subsidies to eligible working groups. Should a taxi driver fit the criteria in the overall subsidy and able to claim this money, they will only be issued with the excess part remaining from the difference between this and the fuel subsidy.

The subsidy will gradually roll out in September. AL