Thailand’s Department of Cooperative Promotion (DCP) is working 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.
DCP deputy director-general Wisit Srisuwan said many cabbies were out of work due to the lack of customers. Some 3,000 taxis are also parked in protest outside several government offices, such as Finance, Transport, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministries, CAT Telecom and the Royal Irrigation Department.
He said the department is urging the State Railway of Thailand to provide new free parking spots for taxis, to help ease the cost of parking. Cabbies can also now borrow cash from the cooperative development fund at 1% interest, so they can do other jobs to generate income during the ongoing crisis.
Mr Wisit said the DCP is also cooperating with the Labor 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 labor law.
