Hong Kong must not undo the good work of its HK$2 transport scheme

An elderly person taps an Octopus card to board a bus at Choi Hung, Hong Kong, on April 3.

Photo: Edmond So The HK$2 (US$0.26) transport fare scheme for the elderly is one of Hong Kong’s most socially significant success stories.

But some of the recent changes, and further ones contemplated, seem to be rowing in a different direction.

We need to pause and take stock before we inadvertently undo some of our good work.

In the process, we should also take the chance to ensure the long-term affordability of the scheme.

The subsidy scheme was introduced in 2012 after an announcement in the 2011 policy address by then chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.

It applied to seniors aged 65 and above, plus people with disabilities.

The objective was to encourage seniors to continue – or at least not discourage them from continuing – to play a full part in daily life, rather than withdraw into their shells and become housebound.

The first public transport operator covered was MTR Corporation.

The scheme was extended to franchised bus companies (2012-13), ferries (2013), green minibuses (2015) and then other transport operators as various practical issues were overcome.

In simple terms, the qualified passenger pays a set fee of HK$2 for the trip and the government reimburses the transport operator the difference between that sum and the actual fare after taking into account the operator’s own discount arrangements.

In 2022, the qualifying age was lowered from 65 to 60 at the behest of then chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

There are now more than 2.67 million beneficiaries (around one third of the population) and the costs have exploded from HK$1.2 billion in 2019-20 to HK$4.8 billion in 2025-26.

All the evidence suggests the scheme has been very popular.

Affordable transport costs have encouraged some senior workers to work past normal retirement age, while facilitating many to maintain social and family ties around the city.

Passengers on a double-decker bus in Sham Shui Po on January 25.

Photo: Sam Tsang Operation of the scheme was comprehensively reviewed in 2018-19 and a final report submitted to the Legislative Council in 2021.

At that time, there was already concern about the escalating costs (even before the qualifying age was lowered to 60) and various options were floated for capping expenditure, such as setting a maximum number of trips or a ceiling on the amount of subsidy an individual could enjoy in a given period.

Faced with t

原文链接: 南华早报