Govt extends help to cabbies, taxi cooperatives hit by lockdown
The Cooperative Promotion Department has tied up with several agencies to offer free parking spots as well as low-interest loans to help cabbies and taxi cooperatives survive the Covid-19 crisis.
Wisit Srisuwan, the department’s deputy director-general, said many cabbies were out of a job due to the lack of customers. Also, some 3,000 cabs are parked in protest outside several government offices such as Finance, Transport, and Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministries, CAT Telecom and Royal Irrigation Department.
Wisit said the department is urging the State Railway of Thailand to provide new free parking spots for taxi to help ease the cost of parking fees.
“Cabbies can also now borrow cash from the cooperative development fund at 1 per cent interest, so they can do other jobs to generate income during the ongoing crisis.
“The department has also cooperated with the Labour Ministry to help cabbies and drivers of other public-transport vehicles like motorbikes, three-wheelers and minibuses to get a 5,000-baht cash allowance under Article 40 of the labour law,” he said.
He said organisations and individuals requiring transportation can call taxi cooperatives to hire taxis. Thailand has 59 taxi cooperatives with 50,974 members and 19,555 vehicles.
