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25% Transport Subsidy in effect from Jan 1

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  1. #1

    Join Date
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    25% Transport Subsidy in effect from Jan 1

    Will definitely lower the kid's transport costs. Mine are less than $200 a month.

    Under the scheme, the government is to subsidise 25 per cent of people’s spending on public transport after the initial HK$400 (US$51).

    For instance, a commuter who spends HK$1,200 on transport in a particular month will get HK$200 in subsidy.

    The subsidy amount is capped at HK$300 per month.

    The government estimated the scheme could benefit 2.2 million citizens, costing HK$2.3 billion per year to run.
    https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ext-government

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Cue the $300 dollar salary cut by employers!

    Rob2020, juanalias and TheBrit like this.

  3. #3

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    For rest of us general office-goers, monthly public transport is anyway 400-500..
    May not be the case for the larger population - my son's transport cost is easily double that.

    Why not straight away give discount on MTR trips, convince other transport owners/buddies to reduce fare by xx% and transfer them whatever you want, at least don't give us extra troubles to get peanuts..
    Would be quite a mess to negotiate across hundreds of companies and thousands of variables. For example many private estates, office complexes run services which need payment by Octopus.
    civil_servant likes this.

  4. #4

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    Original Post Deleted
    Yes they do have a discount but even with that from our location to school and back by MTR and mini-bus, plus weekend bus+MTR journeys add up.

    Not even taking into account people commuting from say Shatin to Cyberport as an extreme example...
    civil_servant likes this.

  5. #5

    A good way to equalize the unequal development of Hong Kong. Most jobs are concentrated in the downtown core. This is starting to change, but catching up will take a long time. In the meantime, this is a good step to take.

    If you don't qualify consider yourself lucky that you live close to your workplace.

    shri likes this.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by civil_servant:
    A good way to equalize the unequal development of Hong Kong. Most jobs are concentrated in the downtown core. This is starting to change, but catching up will take a long time. In the meantime, this is a good step to take.

    If you don't qualify consider yourself lucky that you live close to your workplace.
    Many long distance workplace commutes on the MTR are covered in the monthly pass discount. Minis and Bus fares are not under the MTR monthly pass. If your commute is from an MTR point to another MTR point, the monthly pass offers a considerable discount without tapping and minimum qualifying spend.



    MTR > Monthly Pass Extra

    and

    http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/ti...citysaver.html

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    I'm not really sure what to make of this scheme. Personally is no benefit for me or my family. But I guess those that spend more than $15/day on public transport can get 25% of this excess back. So really it benefits those that live further out, those that require multiple connections (such as bus + MTR) to get to work, those that use a lot such as delivery people/parallel traders etc. I guess there are some rich people and some poor people in this list. It's really quite a 'random' initiative as far as I can see and not really sure what it's trying to achieve.


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jan 2018
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    I will qualify but I see a hassle doing it as we pay our monthly ferry pass fees on a separate smart card (used to be Octopus but people were illegally sharing the monthly pass so now we have photo ID passes). Then we pay an add-on fee if we use the "fast ferry" (30 mins) over the "ordinary ferry" (40 mins) and that is paid by Octopus.

    Then I sometimes use a bus one-way from the ferry to work (walk back from office to ferry but don't want to get all hot and sweaty in the morning).

    Then would trips to see clients during the day be subsidized if I use MTR and buses?

    Seems like a large accounting hassle to get my "less than 300 dollar" subsidy. Will wait to see if the app somehow makes it simple...

    I miss Japan where the employer just paid for your monthly train pass.


  9. #9

    Many expats goto offices from Mid Levels by taxis only.


  10. #10

    Join Date
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    The scheme is specifically for those "long distance commuters". I'm one of them and it costs me $500 for Monthly Pass in West Rail line so I get $25 back before I use the minibuses / buses.