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| JoyYou no more: Not all fares will cost only HK$2 from Apr 3 |
Starting on April 3, seniors holding the JoyYou card or persons with disabilities using personalized Octopus cards will no longer be able to pay a flat rate of HK$2 for most public transport within Hong Kong.
Under the revisions to the transport
subsidy scheme first announced in last year’s budget, elderly (those aged 60 years
old and above) and disabled passengers will pay 20% of any fare that exceeds
HK$10.
But they still get to enjoy
the HK$2 subsidy if the fare is HK$10 or below.
The change in policy is meant
to discourage those who enjoy the subsidized fare from taking the longer and
more expensive routes when they could take the shorter and cheaper trips instead.
Secretary for Labour and
Welfare Chris Sun said on Monday the change "preserves the policy intent
of the scheme while striking a balance between enhancing the sustainability of
the scheme and minimising impacts on beneficiaries".
Secretary Sun said the new
measure will help the government save some HK$550million in the next fiscal
year, and will affect 40% of public transport trips.
He said there will be
promotion and publicity about the change so elderly people and the disabled are
fully informed.
A move to further curb
government spending by putting a cap of 240 subsidised fares per person each
month is expected to be introduced next year at the earliest.
