PUTRAJAYA: Taxi, hire car and school bus drivers will receive a one-off RM1,000 financial assistance from Wednesday.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government would disburse the aid in stages.
"The assistance will benefit about 38,000 taxi and hire car drivers and 15,000 school bus drivers.
"The payments can be made before the 2027 Budget is approved because the funds came from the RM91 million generated through the sale of the special 'H' vehicle registration number series," he told a press conference here today.
Loke said the first batch of recipients would be invited to the Transport Ministry on Wednesday to receive vouchers. Subsequent batches would follow.
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He said the early disbursement was intended to ensure Hindu drivers received the assistance before Deepavali, in line with the prime minister's wishes.
"The first batch will receive the assistance on Wednesday, followed by subsequent groups," he said.
During the tabling of the 2027 Budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that taxi, hire car and school bus drivers would receive a one-off RM1,000 financial assistance following the sale of the special 'H' number plate series.
The Road Transport Department (RTD) raised RM91.2 million from the 'H' series, which was auctioned online from Sept 16 to 20 in conjunction with Malaysia Day.
The 'H1' registration number fetched a record RM10.78 million.
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