Committee of Supply 2023 debate, Day 5: Yeo Wan Ling on challenges faced by point-to-point drivers

The past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been tough for taxi and private-hire drivers and even though the return to normalcy is a relief, they continue to face challenges. They worry about their future due to the ageing driving workforce, ever-widening MRT coverage, the rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) and the rising costs of business. MP Yeo Wan Ling made these points in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 2). She called on the Ministry of Transport to do the following - raise the statutory upper age limit for taxi and private-hire drivers from 65 to 78, as many still feel they are healthy enough to drive; set out fair practice guidelines for vehicle rentals which have risen as much as 35 per cent over the past year; tackle the growth of grey-economy ride-sharing or car-pooling which has impacted drivers’ livelihoods; and ensure priority use of EV charging points for drivers who use their vehicles to earn a living, along with giving more support to early adopters.