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The Government today (May 11) announced that the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities (the Scheme) will be extended to eligible children with disabilities aged below 12 with effect from May 18.
Starting from May 18, recipients under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme aged below 65 with 100 per cent disabilities and recipients of the Disability Allowance (DA) aged below 65 can travel on the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), franchised buses and ferries any time at a concessionary fare of $2 per trip using a Personalised Octopus with "Persons with Disabilities Status".
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said, "The extension facilitates eligible children with disabilities to participate more in community activities and thus provides them with more opportunities to integrate into the community."
The Government launched the Scheme in phases starting June 28, 2012, covering the general MTR lines, franchised bus routes operated by five franchised bus companies and ferry routes run by 12 ferry operators. The number of daily passenger trips taken by beneficiaries is around 700 000, which comprises some 620 000 trips taken by elderly people and some 80 000 trips by eligible persons with disabilities, indicating that the Scheme has been well received and has encouraged elderly people and eligible persons with disabilities to participate in the community.
Eligible persons with disabilities may conveniently enjoy the concessionary fare by using Personalised Octopus with "Persons with Disabilities Status". Free ride arrangements being voluntarily offered by individual public transport operators to children of designated age groups will not be affected. They can continue to enjoy free rides by not tapping their Personalised Octopus against the reader.
For eligible persons with disabilities who have not yet obtained a Personalised Octopus with "Persons with Disabilities Status", they may obtain application forms at the Customer Service Centres in designated MTR stations. As for those eligible persons with disabilities who have newly applied for the CSSA or DA, the Social Welfare Department will, upon approving their CSSA/DA applications, mail them the application forms for Personalised Octopus with "Persons with Disabilities Status".
The concessionary fare will not be applicable to fares paid in cash. When the original fare of a journey is below $2, the beneficiaries would only need to pay the original fare.
Details of the Scheme are available on the Labour and Welfare Bureau's website (www.lwb.gov.hk/fare_concession/index_e.html). For enquiries, please contact the Bureau at 2810 2300.
Ends/Sunday, May 11, 2014
Issued at HKT 09:30
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