$2 fare scheme under scrutiny as budget plan approaches

With the 2025-26 Budget scheduled for announcement at the end of February, the HK$2 elderly transport subsidy scheme has emerged as a key focus among lawmakers' suggestions to the Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po.

Speaking on a TV program on Monday, lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing revealed that the DAB party has proposed the HK$2 scheme remain unchanged, especially for individuals aged 60 to 64, during a meeting with the financial chief.

To address concerns about some elderly passengers taking long-haul routes for short trips, Li recommended asking passengers to tap their Octopus cards when they board and alight the bus to pay for the actual number of stops they traveled.

In response to the question of whether fare subsidies should be capped, Li stated that any changes should ensure that the seniors do not feel burdened, emphasizing the importance of the authorities providing transparent data to explain the adjustments.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun believed that the HK$2 scheme required revision as it had been in place for ten years and transportation fees had been rising almost annually.

Tien brought up his previous suggestion that for fares exceeding HK$10, the subsidy be increased from HK$2 to 20 percent of the fare, with a monthly limit of HK$1,500, believing that this would address the "taking long-haul routes for short journeys" issue.

Furthermore, Tien recommended allowing drivers to ask the passengers to show their JoyYou Card through legislation. However, he cautioned that transportation costs will continue to rise if public transportation operators are held responsible for fare concessions.

Separately, Tian proposed a salary freeze for all civil servants and government officials this year, with an estimated savings of HK$8 billion to HK$9 billion. He also stressed the importance of surveying to assess market trends in the next year.