Oral Reply by Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Amy Khor to Parliamentary Question on Government Support to help Point-to-Point Sector Defray Cost Amid Slow Passenger Recovery

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Transport in view of the rising petrol prices, whether the Ministry has considered giving support to the point-to-point (P2P) sector to help defray such costs as the industry faces a slow start to passenger recovery.

Reply by Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Dr Amy Khor

1.     The Government actively monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the point-to-point (P2P) sector. Amid lower ridership, the Government has set aside more than $1 billion to provide broad-based as well as sector-specific support to the P2P drivers. Since February 2020, the Government has introduced the Point-to-Point Support Package (PPSP), Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) and multiple tranches of COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF). 

2.     At Budget 2021, the Government raised the petrol duty as part of Singapore’s sustainability drive. To mitigate the financial impact of this on active P2P drivers with petrol vehicles, the Government provided road tax rebate of 15% (which is about $120) as well as additional petrol duty rebate of $360 in 2021 as offsets. 

3.     P2P ridership has steadily recovered from about 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels in October 2021 during the Stabilisation Period, to about 80% in December 2021. This has bolstered the incomes of P2P drivers. 

4.     The Government currently has no plans to provide additional support to defray higher fuel costs, which are a result of market forces of global supply and demand factors. We will continue to monitor the P2P sector and the demand for such services to ensure that drivers are coping well in this challenging period.