Hong Kong to adjust HK$2 transport subsidy scheme starting in April 2026
Minister says authorities to implement part of revised scheme five months ahead of schedule, helping government to save HK$260 million
Hong Kong will implement part of its revised HK$2 (26 US cents) transport fare scheme in April next year, five months ahead of schedule, the city’s welfare minister has said, with the move expected to save authorities HK$260 million.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday that elderly and disabled passengers who used the public transport subsidy scheme would need to pay 20 per cent of fares that exceeded HK$10 from next April.
The early implementation of the policy would save the government HK$260 million, he said. But Sun added that a cap on the number of trips under the scheme at 240 a month would be implemented from around April 2027.
“After close consultation with Octopus and public transport operators, we can now confirm that the requirement of paying 20 per cent of a fare surpassing HK$10 can be implemented ahead of schedule, in April 2026, five months earlier than originally scheduled,” he told a special meeting of the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee.
“If we look at it from the perspective of fiscal savings, an additional HK$260 million can be saved.”
