• Taxi and private-hire car drivers are now next in line to receive the Covid-19 vaccination
• Active drivers will receive an SMS notification via their phones, with a link to book their appointment
• Ride-hailing firms here said they will cover their drivers who fall ill or are hospitalised due to vaccine side effects

SINGAPORE — The Covid-19 vaccination exercise for taxi and private-hire car drivers kicked off on Tuesday (Feb 23), with more than 50,000 drivers expected to receive the jab over the coming weeks.

Active taxi and private-hire drivers will progressively receive an SMS notification via their phones, with a unique link to book their vaccination appointment at any of the vaccination centres, polyclinics or Public Health Preparedness Clinics that are operating as vaccination sites.

“We encourage drivers to step forward to be vaccinated in order to help strengthen the resilience of Singapore’s essential transport services,” the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ride-hailing firms here said that they will extend their existing insurance or financial programmes to cover their drivers for any potential loss of income should they fall ill due to the side effects of the vaccine.

Mr Yee Wee Tang, managing director for Grab Singapore, said in a statement that the transport firm will provide its drivers with an extension of its group prolonged medical leave insurance policy to cover the loss of income should any of them become hospitalised as a result of suffering any side effects from the vaccine.

This is so as to encourage its drivers to get vaccinated, Mr Yee said.

“We will also continue to engage our driver-partners through our driver app to help them better understand the benefits of the vaccination.”

Mr Lien Choong Luen, Gojek Singapore’s general manager, said that it will similarly cover its drivers for any potential loss in income should they fall ill from the side effects.

Eligible Gojek drivers may receive a protection coverage of their earnings, of up to S$80 a day for outpatient medical leave for a maximum of 21 days and hospitalisation leave of up to 84 days. This is part of the insurance programme offered by the ride-hailing firm in partnership with insurance company Gigacover, Mr Lien added.

Mr Jonathan Chua, general manager of Mass Vehicle Ledger, which operates Tada, said that the firm will extend a one-time financial assistance payment of S$500 to eligible Tada drivers who are hospitalised as a result of side effects.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the vaccination exercise is an important added protection for taxi and private-hire car drivers, as well as their families and commuters.

This is even though none of the 12,000 drivers who went for the voluntary Covid-19 swab test last September tested positive for the coronavirus, partly due to safety measures already put in place, he added.

Singapore’s voluntary vaccination exercise started in December, with healthcare workers being the first to get the shots.

Since then, frontline workers in other sectors such as the aviation, maritime, and community care sectors, have also progressively been inoculated.

On Monday, hundreds of seniors turned up at community clubs for the first day of a nationwide voluntary vaccination exercise for those aged 70 and above.

The vaccination exercise is expected to be rolled out to the rest of the population in April or some time after that, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong had said.