SINGAPORE - More than seven in 10 cabbies and private-hire car (PHC) drivers here have received their first Covid-19 vaccination dose, with almost half of them having completed both doses.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung gave an update on the ongoing vaccination exercise in a Facebook post on Saturday morning (April 10), thanking the drivers for volunteering to get vaccinated.

"The next time you take a taxi or private-hire car, it is very likely that your driver has been vaccinated against Covid-19," he said.

"Thanks to our drivers for stepping up and making taxi and PHC rides safer."

Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor also posted on Facebook on Saturday, saying she was encouraged that close to 85 per cent of active taxi and PHC drivers have registered to be vaccinated.

She said around 40,000 of the more than 50,000 drivers have received their first dose, and more than 25,000 of them have already taken their second dose.

She said: "This will give our drivers additional peace of mind, and better protect themselves, their families and their commuters from Covid-19.

"We hope the rest of the drivers who have yet to sign up will step forward soon. Take care and drive safe."

The vaccination exercise for taxi and PHC drivers began on Feb 23, and is part of the overall effort to vaccinate more than 80,000 land transport workers here.

SMSes with unique links to book vaccination appointments have been sent progressively to eligible drivers.

It is a joint effort by the Land Transport Authority and the Ministry of Health, supported by the National Taxi Association, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, and the taxi and PHC operators.

As at April 6, more than 1.1 million people here have received their first dose of the vaccine while another 535,000 have completed the full vaccination regimen.