The Government today (November 30) announced that eligible persons born in 1961 should apply for the JoyYou Card, a Personalised Octopus Card tailor-made for the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities ($2 Scheme) from tomorrow (December 1) via the Octopus App mobile application or by posting the application forms. The JoyYou Card carries a personal photo and the name of the eligible beneficiary for identification. Each eligible person will be issued with one card only. The Government will subsidise the $20 application fee for the first application of eligible persons, and the applicants do not need to pay any application fee to the Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) separately.

     Eligible persons aged 60 to 64 must use a JoyYou Card to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare from February 27, 2022. The OCL has so far received a total of about 404 400 applications, representing about 84 per cent of the estimated population born from 1957 to 1960. The Government appealed to those eligible persons aged 61 to 64 who are overdue and yet to apply for the JoyYou Card to submit their applications as soon as possible.

     For eligible persons' special attention, if they submit their JoyYou Card applications by post, the applications must be submitted before December 31, 2021. Otherwise, they will not be able to receive the JoyYou Cards before February 27, 2022, for access to the $2 Scheme on that day.

     The OCL has issued SMS texts and letters to applicants whose applications were found to have incomplete information or supporting documents for submission of supplementary information. Applicants who have received an SMS should call the service hotline (2266 2222) (press 6, 2, 3 and 0 after choosing the language to contact operators directly) as soon as possible. As for applicants who have received letters, they should submit the supplementary information within 14 days by using the return envelope attached to the letter. Otherwise, their applications cannot be processed further.

     The OCL has started sending JoyYou Cards to applicants by post since mid-August in phases and has notified applicants via SMS to check if they have received it. Applicants who have not received their JoyYou Cards 10 days after receiving the SMS or four weeks after completing the applications should call the service hotline mentioned above.

     The links to download the Octopus App mobile application and application form (without postage-free return envelope) as well as the distribution points for paper application forms (with postage-free return envelope) can be found on the JoyYou Card webpage (www.octopus.com.hk/joyyou/en). The webpage also features short videos illustrating the detailed steps of filling in an application form via the Octopus App or by post. For enquiries, please call the service hotline.

     Current beneficiaries aged 65 or above may continue to use their Anonymous Elder or Personalised Octopus Cards at present to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare. The Government will announce arrangements for them to apply for JoyYou Cards in the first quarter of 2022. Moreover, eligible persons with disabilities may continue to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare by using their existing Personalised Octopus Cards with valid "Persons with Disabilities Status" and do not need to apply for the JoyYou Card.

Ends/Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Issued at HKT 11:30

NNNN