HK$2 Rides 'the Best Possible Perk For Seniors'

Labour and welfare chief Law Chi-kwong said on Sunday that offering cheaper public transport rides is the best way to help people aged 60 to 64, adding that it will not put a long-term burden on the SAR's economy.

The age threshold for the fare concession was lowered from 65 to 60 on February 27, allowing more people to take public transport, including the MTR, buses, green minibuses and ferries, for just HK$2 per journey by using a personalised Octopus card.

The government has also extended the scheme to cover rides on red minibuses, kaito ferries and tram routes.

Writing on his official blog, the secretary echoed a phrase introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2015, saying that the fare concession scheme maximised the so-called "sense of gain" for senior citizens, and brought them more satisfaction than any other form of support.

Since the age limit for the scheme was reduced, Law said people on average had saved up to HK$500 a month.

"For people who don't yet qualify for the Old Age Living Allowance and Health Care Voucher, this [scheme] is the most obvious perk for them. But whether it's enough or not, it's up for debate," he wrote.

The welfare chief also brushed aside concerns that the cost of the scheme would balloon as the territory's population ages, as he pointed to projections showing that the number of citizens in the 60 to 64 age bracket, which now stands at more than 600,000, will peak in just two years.

By 2061, he said, the figure is expected to drop to below 400,000.

Law admitted that it's difficult to estimate how many more people are benefitting from the concessionary fare, given that the expanded scheme was rolled out at a time when the territory was hit hard by the fifth Covid wave.

But he said he was "almost certain" that the scheme would stay within its budget of HK$6 billion this year.