Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme to include AlipayHK starting Jan. 1 next year
The Transport Department announced that, in addition to the current coverage of Octopus cards, AlipayHK will be included in the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme starting Jan. 1 next year.
Citizens can pay for single fares on major public transport services using AlipayHK EasyGo or pay for MTR rides with the "Ticket QR Code" via the MTR Mobile app, and these transport costs will be included when the public transport fare subsidy is calculated.
Under the Scheme, citizens who use AlipayHK to pay for single fares on public transport services will have their expenses counted towards the fare subsidy. This includes MTR trains (excluding the Airport Express, Light Rail, and MTR buses); franchised buses, including Citybus, KMB, Long Win Bus, and New Lantao Bus; trams; 11 designated ferry routes; and 175 designated green minibus routes. However, it does not support the purchase of individual ticket types such as monthly or daily passes.
The single fare expenses paid with AlipayHK will be automatically recorded in the relevant AlipayHK account. The government will provide one-third of the actual public transport expenditure that exceeds HK$400 per month for each AlipayHK account, with a subsidy cap of HK$400 per month, similar to the current calculation method for Octopus users.
AlipayHK users can claim the previous month's public transport fare subsidy through the AlipayHK mobile app starting from the 16th of each month. The claim period for the subsidy is three months.
After AlipayHK is included in the Scheme, there will be no changes to the current arrangements for recording, calculating, and claiming subsidies through Octopus cards, and the public transport expenses recorded separately by Octopus and AlipayHK accounts will be independently calculated for the fare subsidy.
Related News:
Comment