RM1,000 aid for school bus, taxi and hired car drivers: payments until 2 Nov 2026

This guide is based on the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Special Financial Aid for Drivers portal and the school bus drivers' aid FAQ. We read both on 25 Oct 2026. We also referred to Bernama reports of 14, 16 and 17 Oct 2026. It explains who qualifies, when the money arrives and what to do if you have not received it.

A one-off RM1,000 for drivers registered with APAD

The Prime Minister announced this aid on 9 Oct 2026 as one of the Budget 2027 initiatives. The MOT portal lists two groups of recipients, both registered with the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD):

• taxi and hired car drivers: a one-off RM1,000;
• school bus drivers: RM1,000 for each driver who drives a school bus owned by an operator.

According to Bernama (16 Oct 2026), Transport Minister Anthony Loke said about 53,000 taxi, hired car and school bus drivers are expected to receive the aid. Bernama (14 Oct 2026) reported that the money comes from sales of the special "H" series registration numbers.

School bus drivers: requirements, process and payment dates

The MOT FAQ sets three requirements for school bus drivers:

1. appointed by an operator as a school bus driver;
2. holding an active Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence, checked with the Road Transport Department (JPJ);
3. the operator holding an active school bus licence or permit.

Drivers do not apply themselves. Operators update driver details on the MOT portal using their company registration number (SSM) and Operator Licence (OL) number in the iSPKP system. The details entered are the driver's name, identity card number, phone number, PSV licence number and bank account number.

The update period was 12 days, from 16 to 27 Oct 2026. According to the FAQ, a driver does not qualify if the operator updates their details after the deadline.

APAD and JPJ check the list of drivers. The money is then paid straight into the updated bank accounts, in stages from 22 Oct to 2 Nov 2026, subject to final checks.

After entering the details, the operator can generate a confirmation slip to give to the driver. Ask your operator for this slip if you want to be sure your name was submitted correctly.

Taxi and hired car drivers: eligibility from agency data

The taxi and hired car section of the MOT portal showed "Not available at the moment" when we checked it on 25 Oct 2026. Bernama reports give the following details:

• the main requirements are a Driver Card, an active vehicle licence or permit (VP) and a valid PSV licence (Bernama, 17 Oct 2026);
• driver records are cross-checked against the databases of APAD, the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP) and JPJ (Bernama, 16 Oct 2026);
• the first phase was a physical handover in several zones, starting in Putrajaya on 14 Oct (Bernama, 17 Oct 2026);
• the remaining recipients are paid straight into their bank accounts by electronic funds transfer (EFT) (Bernama, 17 Oct 2026);
• payments are expected to be completed before Deepavali on 8 Nov 2026 (Bernama, 14 Oct 2026).

The Transport Minister asked drivers to follow announcements from APAD and from LPKP Sabah and Sarawak on the information needed and the verification steps (Bernama, 17 Oct 2026).

Not received it yet? Steps you can take

• School bus drivers: ask your operator whether your name was submitted before 27 Oct, and ask for the confirmation slip. Further questions can be sent to APAD at bantuanbassekolah@apad.gov.my.
• Taxi and hired car drivers: make sure your Driver Card, vehicle permit and PSV licence are active, then follow official announcements from APAD or your state LPKP.

Beware of scams using the name of this aid

For school buses, drivers' bank details are updated by the operator on the MOT portal. For taxis and hired cars, eligibility is checked against agency data. So be careful if anyone else contacts you asking for bank details, verification codes or a fee to "process" this aid.

Type bantuanpemandu.mot.gov.my into your browser yourself and do not open links from unknown messages. If you have been scammed, call the 24-hour 997 line as soon as possible so the accounts involved can be blocked (Berita RTM, 6 Jul 2026). You can check a message you received with the Scam Message Checker.