The Government appealed to eligible persons aged 60 to 64 who will soon benefit under the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities ($2 Scheme) but have yet to apply for the JoyYou Card, a Personalised Octopus Card tailor-made for the Scheme, to act quickly. They must submit their applications via the Octopus App mobile application or visit the temporary JoyYou Card Application Service Centres for application on or before January 31 (Monday). Otherwise, they will not be able to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare from February 27 as scheduled.

     The service hours of the temporary service centres are 9am to 8pm from Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays, and they will be closed on Sundays and public holidays (see Annex for locations). The temporary service centres will operate until March 12. Members of the public who need assistance to apply for JoyYou Cards may visit the service centres on or before that date.

     Eligible persons aged 60 to 64 must use a JoyYou Card to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare from February 27. Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) has so far received a total of about 537 800 applications, representing about 88.2 per cent of the estimated population born from 1957 to 1961.

     OCL has requested supplementary information regarding applications with incomplete information. Applicants who 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. Applicants who received letters should submit the supplementary information within 14 days by using the standard form and return envelope attached to the letter. Otherwise, their applications will not be processed further. OCL has started sending out JoyYou Cards by post and notified applicants via SMS. If they are not received 10 days after receiving the SMS or four weeks after completing an application, applicants should call the service hotline.

     OCL will continue to accept applications by post or via the Octopus App, but eligible persons submitting their applications after January 31 may not receive their JoyYou Cards before February 27. In addition, those reaching 60 in three months may apply for the JoyYou Card via the Octopus App or by posting the application forms to enjoy the concessionary fare when they reach 60 or from February 27 (whichever is later).

     The links to download the Octopus App, the online version of the application form (without a postage-free return envelope) and details of distribution points for paper application forms (with a postage-free return envelope) have been uploaded to the JoyYou Card webpage (www.octopus.com.hk/joyyou/en), which also features short videos illustrating detailed steps of filling in and submitting the application form via the Octopus App or by post. For enquiries, please call the service hotline.

     The JoyYou Card carries the photo and the name of the eligible person, who will be issued with one card only. The Government will subsidise the $20 application fee for the first application and applicants do not need to pay any fee separately. Beneficiaries aged 65 or above may continue to enjoy the concessionary fare and the Government will announce their application arrangements separately, while eligible persons with disabilities may continue to enjoy the concessionary fare and do not need to apply.

Ends/Friday, January 21, 2022
Issued at HKT 11:30

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