The Government today (September 30) announced that eligible persons born in 1959 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 (October 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. Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) will send the JoyYou Card to the applicant's Hong Kong postal address within four weeks upon receipt of the completed application. 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 OCL separately.
As for eligible persons born in 1957 and 1958, the OCL has so far received a total of about 195 000 applications, representing about 83 per cent of the estimated local population born in the same years. The Government appealed to the above eligible persons who have yet to apply for the JoyYou Card to submit their applications as soon as possible to ensure that they will be able to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare from February 27, 2022 as scheduled.
In accordance with the application timetable announced, the OCL will accord priority to applications from eligible persons born in 1959 in October 2021, while other overdue applications will be processed later. Therefore it may take a longer time for late applicants to be issued JoyYou Cards.
In addition, 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 application should call the service hotline (2266 2222).
The links to download the Octopus App mobile application, application form (without postage-free return envelope) and 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 videos illustrating the detailed steps to apply for the JoyYou Card. For enquiries on the JoyYou Card, please visit its webpage or call the service hotline.
The Government will launch enhancement and anti-abuse measures of the $2 Scheme on February 27, 2022, including lowering the eligible age from 65 to 60, benefitting more than 600 000 persons aged 60 to 64, when these beneficiaries must present their JoyYou Card to enjoy the fare concession. Prior to February 27, 2022, JoyYou Cards can only be used as normal Adult Octopus Cards. Current beneficiaries aged 65 or above of the $2 Scheme 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.
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