Stacy Shi
Some elderly people who used public transport yesterday were not happy because only JoyYou cards were accepted for the HK$2 discounted fare. Some said they found the process of getting a JoyYou card too cumbersome and difficult.
As of yesterday, a JoyYou card is required to avail of the government’s 2HK discount scheme for seniors, MTR Corp said. Passengers aged 65 and above using the “anonymous senior card” or the regular personalized Octopus card, on the other hand, will only pay half the adult fare.
The mandatory regulation helps prevent abuse of the system, but some say the new measure complicates matters.
MTRC deployed staff at Wong Tai Sin MTR station to remind senior citizens to use JoyYou cards and assist those who had not yet applied for them. Senior citizens went to customer service centres to return or enquire about their Octopus senior citizen card.
Several new applicants reported that they delayed applying because the Octopus app’s small font and complicated interface prevented them from applying online.
A senior citizen surnamed To said that they just need to follow the government’s instructions and everything will be fine as they can still enjoy rides for HK$2.
However, another, Tong, said: “We already have a lot of cards. The government is making it too complicated for the elderly.”
Minister of Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the new measure worked smoothly on the first day and there were no reports of system failures from Octopus or transport operators.
He described the introduction of the card as an effective measure to maintain the reduced fare of HK$2 while strengthening the fight against fare abuse.
“We hope the public can understand the reasons behind the new measure,” Sun said. “Although some elderly people will be unfamiliar with the new procedures at first, we believe they will soon be able to use the JoyYou card without any problems.”
There are about 1.34 million card applications from people aged 65 and over – about 95 percent of the age group – while about 73,700 people, mostly aged 80 and over, have not yet applied.
Among those who did not apply were around 40,000 nursing home residents, he said.
“Some of them travel less frequently and are therefore less inclined to change their card. But the authorities will also try to reach them and help them apply for the card if necessary.”
