Drivers and riders who require help to apply online can approach physical help desks, the locations of which will be available on the same webpage.
Drivers and motorcycle riders who meet the eligibility criteria but are not NPHVA or NDCA members may apply for the scheme by signing up to be an NPHVA or NDCA member.
They can proceed to apply for the scheme once notified their membership application has been successful.
The NPHVA is a NTUC-affiliated association that was set up in May 2016, while the NDCA, also NTUC-affiliated, was set up in December 2020.
The scheme is part of the $1.5 billion support package announced in June to provide targeted relief for lower-income and more vulnerable groups, said the labor movement.
“All applicants would be notified on the outcome of application within six to eight weeks.
“Successful applicants will receive their cash relief in two to four weeks after receiving notification of application approval,” NTUC said.
One driver who will benefit from the scheme is Mr Mohamed Idrus Yahya, 52, who has driven a combi bus for eight years.
The father of two daughters, who are university students, is the sole breadwinner in the family. He has been feeling the pinch of increased fuel spending.
A member of the NPHVA for five years, he has seen his take-home income decline to under $4,000 a month now, from $7,000 before the pandemic, with the double whammy of both decimated business and higher fuel expenses, from $1,000 to $1,300 a month .
“The savings (from the payout under the scheme) will help so that the fuel doesn’t eat into costs that much and I can bring my family out to a nice dinner,” he said.
Mr Jasmi Md Nor, 63, has been a freelance delivery driver for over a year, and a private-hire driver for six years, but he has not signed up to join either the NPHVA or NDCA.
He used to earn $70 to $80, after deducting car rental and petrol, for every 10 trips before the pandemic, but that sum has now dipped to under $50, as his daily fuel stops have increased from $70 each day to $110 – making the payout and other benefits of membership more appealing now.
“This NTUC initiative seems to be worthwhile for recovering back some of the petrol cost, and maybe I will join the association soon.”