Anwar announces 800L Budi95 quota for e-hailing drivers, adds airport taxis to scheme

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced an increased monthly fuel quota of 800 litres for full-time e-hailing drivers under the Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95) initiative, also expanding the subsidy to include airport taxis.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said the decision to raise the e-hailing quota from the previous 600 litres was made after receiving feedback that the amount was inadequate for drivers.

“Therefore, the government has agreed to increase the Budi95 eligibility limit for e-hailing drivers,” he said.

The Finance Ministry later announced new tiered monthly quotas that range from 300 litres for mileage below 2,000km monthly to 800 litres for e-hailing drivers exceeding 5,000km.

The announcement marks the second increase for the scheme this year. 

On October 13, the government had already raised the quota for nearly 58,000 e-hailing drivers from 300 litres to 600 litres per month.

Treasury Secretary-General Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican recently said the quota revision was based on drivers’ appeals and fuel usage data from e-hailing service providers.

Anwar also said only 0.7 per cent of Budi95 recipients exceeded the 300-litre monthly quota — with the majority using an average of 98 litres a month or 33 per cent of their eligible quota.

Responding to a supplementary question from Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid on the government’s move to revise its initial targeted subsidy policy from 85 per cent of Malaysians (excluding the T15 group) to all citizens, Anwar said the challenge was in its implementation.

“When we set the income threshold at RM13,000 then RM20,000 a month, it still affects the upper-middle class, so if we were to raise it to RM50,000 per month, the  number of affected individuals is very miniscule.

“In terms of enforcement costs, they will be high. Our view is to allow the current system to operate first, and once it stabilises, we will, if necessary, implement enforcement measures against truly high-income individuals and owners of luxury vehicles,” he said.