The Ministry of Transport and Mining has partnered with Johnson’s Petroleum and United Petroleum to provide 341 partially or fully vaccinated taxi operators with $2,500 worth of gasoline.

The initiative, launched online Tuesday, is to increase the number of public passenger vehicle operators vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. It will start on October 15 and continue for one month or until the quota is achieved.
 
Eligible taxi operators are those who have received the first dose of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine or those who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
 
The taxi operators will have to provide proper identification to receive the gas from either United Petroleum or Johnson’s Petroleum. Each taxi driver will also have to present an up-to-date road licence or badge.
 
Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague said the Government is partnering with private sector entities on various projects to ensure that Jamaicans get vaccinated against COVID-19 to stem the spread of the virus and return to normality.
 
“We implore the operators to go out, get vaccinated and redeem the voucher to get their $2,500 worth of gas. It is a very good initiative, and the Government and the private sector is moving to get as many persons as possible.
 
“Johnson’s Petroleum and United Petroleum have extended themselves in this pandemic to help somebody and is encouraging others to be vaccinated because the spread of the virus can only be stopped by our actions,” Montague said.
 
Meanwhile, the president of the National Council of Taxi Association, Allan Blair, believes the initiative will help to contain the spread of the virus.
 
“Owing to the fact that the route taxi fraternity is one of the most frequently used modes of transportation and that it is one of the most vulnerable avenues that have the potential of spreading the COVID-19 virus, I believe it is critical for operators to be vaccinated as they are more prone to the spreading and the contracting of this virus.
 
“It is with this in mind, and the general safety of the population, that I endorsed this approach taken by Johnson’s Petroleum, United Petroleum Limited and the Ministry of Transport and Mining in encouraging operators and drivers to get vaccinated to slow down the spread of this virus,” Blair said.