Deadline looms for JoyYou stragglers

Around 70,000 people aged between 60 and 64 have yet to register for cards allowing them to enjoy HK$2 concessionary fares on public transport, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said.

The JoyYou card is an Octopus card that allows those aged between 60 and 64 to take HK$2 trips on the MTR, franchised buses, green minibuses and ferries. The scheme will expand to cover trams and red minibuses in the future.

The deadline for applications is at the end of this month. As of Wednesday, over 530,000 applications have been submitted, approximately 88.2 percent of people aged between 60 and 64, Law wrote on his blog yesterday. Another 70,000 have yet to apply.

"It is not easy to determine why eligible individuals have not applied for the scheme - whether because they don't pay attention to the news or they don't typically use public transport. They could also have moved out of Hong Kong," Law wrote.

He urged those aware of the scheme to remind relatives to apply so they can enjoy the concessionary fares starting February 27.

Users can apply by posting forms or through the Octopus app. To facilitate the application process, temporary service centers have been set up at Revenue Tower in Wan Chai, Pioneer Centre in Mong Kok, Tin Ching Amenity and Community Building in Tin Shui Wai and Hin Keng Neighbourhood Community Centre in Sha Tin. The centers will operate from 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays until March 12.

For those aged 65 and older, they can apply for the JoyYou card at a later date. In the meantime, they can enjoy concessionary fares with their existing Octopus cards.