SINGAPORE — Private hire drivers are expressing fear and concern about their exposure to the novel coronavirus while on the job, and that is reasonable, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary.

Grab Singapore’s country head, Mr Yee Wee Tang, said that while the company has taken precautions to keep its drivers safe, its existing cancellation policies remain, under which drivers who decline passengers too often risk being penalised.

Both Dr Janil and Mr Yee spoke to the media on Thursday (Feb 6) on the sidelines of a Grab and National Private Hire Vehicles Association event where training opportunities for drivers were launched.

Dr Janil said he understood why drivers were concerned about the coronavirus situation.

“Although this virus looks like it’s far less lethal than Sars, and there many reasons to believe that we’ll be able to come through this with some degree of confidence, it’s going to be tough for the next few weeks, perhaps. Their fears are not unreasonable,” he said.

Mr Yee told TODAY that Grab has been working with the Ministry of Health to give advisories to its drivers and delivery persons on how to stay healthy during the crisis.

As of now, however, Grab has no plans to require passengers to declare if they are sick when booking a ride, said Mr Yee.

“We trust passengers to inform the drivers if they are sick, to wear masks if they are sick,” he said.

Mr Yee recommended that drivers wind down their car windows and switch off air-conditioning if they are concerned that a passenger is showing symptoms of the coronavirus.

“I’m sure people are very understanding today in light of the situation,” he said.

Grab, however, has not changed its usual cancellation policy for drivers.

“In normal circumstances, even without the current situation, our Grab partners actually have the opportunity to decline certain passengers, because there are a lot of unforeseen circumstances they may face,” he said.

“(Drivers) are prepared but they know to look after their ongoing cancellation rate.” 

According to its website, Grab’s cancellation rate allows private hire drivers to cancel rides up to six times per week without being penalised.

A Grab spokesperson added: ""Our driver-partners' health and well-being remains our top priority. We understand their concerns in these extraordinary situations and will provide more assistance when required."

Speaking on the sidelines to the media, Dr Janil also said that both the public transport and point-to-point transport industries play vital roles in Singapore amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“We need to be able to move around Singapore, so we need every sector to come together and provide us those essential services,” said Dr Janil. 

Public transport staff are ensuring that they are healthy and safe while performing their duties and public transportation is also being cleaned more frequently, he said.