Opening Remarks by Senior Minister of State (Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Sustainability & the Environment) Dr Amy Khor at Grab’s Appreciation Lunch with Drivers and Delivery Partners

Mr Yee Wee Tang, Managing Director of Grab Singapore

Ms Tin Pei Ling, Head Public Affairs of Grab Singapore

Mr Ang Hin Kee, Advisor to National Taxi Association and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association

Mr Joseph Goh, General Secretary of National Private Hire Vehicles Association

Mr Goh Yong Wei, President of National Delivery Champions Association

Our Grab drivers and delivery partners

1.     Good afternoon, everyone. I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Lunar New Year! 祝大家新年快乐，身体健康， 万事如意， 兔年行大运！ Thank you for inviting me to join you today for the Lunar New Year celebration with all of you. 

2.     I was told this is the first time Grab is having such a huge gathering since COVID-19 – about 80 tables! I would like to thank all the drivers and delivery partners for keeping Singapore going through the tough times. Let us give all our drivers and delivery partners a big round of applause.

3.     It was not easy for our P2P drivers when demand disappeared. As ridership fell, P2P drivers saw a sharp drop in earnings. We know your incomes were depressed for nearly two years. Thankfully, with the strong support of our P2P operators like Grab, and the driver associations, the Government was able to distribute relief packages such as the Special Relief Fund and the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund, which I hope helped you to tide over the difficult times.

4.     P2P drivers also stepped up to play a significant part in our fight against COVID. When the COVID caseloads were high, we had supportive drivers on GrabResponse who helped to convey COVID-positive people who were clinically well, supplementing the provision of ambulances for those who required them. P2P drivers were also one of the most responsive to the call for workers to be vaccinated, keeping themselves, their families, and their passengers safe.

5.   The delivery partners were also essential during those times when almost everyone else had to stay at home. I think you literally “spice” up our lives every time we await your food delivery. Many of our P2P drivers also switched to providing delivery services under LTA’s courier service trial. This helped to sustain Singaporeans who were working or studying at home, and also kept our F&B businesses going when dining-in was restricted. Thank you all for playing your part.

6.     Today, ridership has returned to 80% of pre-COVID, at about 582,000 daily trips, compared to around 74% in 2021. With more countries opening up their borders and we see more people travelling, we can expect higher demand for P2P rides. This is good news for drivers as you would see improved incomes, especially now that fuel prices have eased off from the levels seen in 2022. 

7.     However, the supply of P2P drivers has not recovered in tandem with increase in demand. Currently, the number of drivers is at around 57,000 active drivers, which is in fact lower than the number in 2021 when there were about 59,000 active drivers. As a result, commuters have had to deal with longer waiting times and have seen higher surges. 

8.    It does take time for supply to catch up with demand. In recent months, we have seen a gradual increase in the number of applications for vocational licences. With demand continuing to recover, we hope to see more P2P drivers on the road again to meet peaks in demand. We will continue to work with our operators like Grab and the drivers’ associations to explore ways to increase driver availability, and reduce the waiting time for our P2P commuters for a more pleasant journey.

9.    As we welcome the new year and things become busier, do take care of your health. While making a living is important, we should also remember to ensure that we have sufficient rest. 

10.     At this point, I would like to wish the best of health to everyone, and may 2023 be a year full of great returns. 

新 年 快 乐, 万 事 如 意 .