Monthly cap on Hong Kong’s HK$2 fare scheme unfair to elderly, experts say
Professor Nelson Chow also suggests reconsidering plan as projected savings will account for ‘tiny percentage’ of deficit
The Hong Kong government’s proposed adjustment to the controversial HK$2 (25 US cents) transport subsidy scheme for the elderly will fail to tackle the deficit and instead alienate the demographic, social policy experts have said.
Nelson Chow Wing-sun, an emeritus professor at University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration, was among the experts who expressed their concerns to the Post on Saturday, a day after sources said the government might cap use of the HK$2 concessionary fare scheme to 240 times per month.
Users of the scheme could also be required to cover 20 per cent of the usual fare for trips costing more than HK$10, which was expected to save the government between HK$100 million and HK$300 million a year, insiders said on Friday.
“This review is absolutely unfair to the elderly who will need to pay more to take long-haul trips. The government needs to rethink this idea,” Chow said.
He said that introducing the changes would not help ease the deficit as the savings of a few hundred million dollars a year only accounted for a very tiny percentage of the deficit expected to reach nearly HK$100 billion.
“Instead, this will upset the elderly whose welfare has been undermined,” he said.