Older residents still commuting to jobs say revision should have distinguished them from other beneficiaries, but observers expect extra burden to be limited
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenEmily HungPublished: 10:00am, 2 Apr 2026John Hau, a 66-year-old Hongkonger, was frustrated by the government’s decision to revamp the HK$2 (26 US cents) transport subsidy scheme.
The discount allowed him to pay just HK$4 to make the round-trip rail commute from his home in Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, where he works as a security guard at a hotel.
From Friday, he will need to pay an extra HK$1.20, an amount that does not bother him financially but emotionally.
“The impact on my finances is not substantial, but pennies add up to pounds in the long run, and there are many elderly people still working very hard like me,” he said.
“It is unreasonable for the government to paint everyone with the same brush, without considering if you are a millionaire travelling the world or are still struggling to make ends meet.”
Under the revised scheme, the elderly and people with disabilities holding an Octopus JoyYou Card will pay 20 per cent of fares for trips costing more than HK$10, instead of the HK$2 flat rate.
