Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations, Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals: The Tourism Commission announces that due to the issuing of Tropical Cyclone W… read more
The Transport Department (TD) today (November 1) announced the implementation details of the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme. The Scheme will be implemented with effect from January 1, 2019, to relieve the fare burden of daily commuters who travel by local public transport and whose public transport expenses are relatively high.
A spokesman for the TD said that the Scheme is simple and easy to understand, and commuters are not required to submit any application for the Scheme or pre-register their Octopus. Under the Scheme, commuters with monthly public transport expenses exceeding $400 are eligible for the public transport fare subsidy. The Government will provide a subsidy for 25 per cent of the actual public transport expenses in excess of $400, subject to a maximum of $300 per month.
The Scheme covers the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), franchised buses, green minibuses, ferries and trams, as well as designated routes of red minibuses, kaitos, non-franchised buses providing residents’ services and employees’ services approved by the TD. For red minibuses, residents’ services, employees’ services and kaitos, the logo of the Scheme will be displayed atop the Octopus readers and at the vehicles/vessels that have been approved to join the Scheme.
The spokesman noted that under the Scheme, commuters can continue to benefit from various public transport fare concession schemes currently provided by the Government and public transport operators, and the subsidy for each month will be calculated on the basis of the actual monthly public transport expenses recorded on each Octopus.
Daily public transport expenses paid by Octopus will be recorded automatically. Commuters who purchase designated transport tickets by cash or any payment means other than Octopus can go through a simple registration process to link up relevant expenses with Octopus records for calculation of total public transport expenses and the subsidy amount under the Scheme.
Commuters can collect the public transport fare subsidy for January 2019 starting from February 16, 2019. The method for collection is simple. Commuters can collect the public transport fare subsidy for the previous month by tapping their Octopus at the Subsidy Collection Points set up at each MTR station, Light Rail Customer Service Centre and designated ferry pier; the Octopus readers of any outlet of convenience stores including 7-Eleven and Circle K, as well as Wellcome supermarkets; the Octopus App; or Octopus Service Points. The subsidy will then be credited to the Octopus. The subsidy for each month is valid for collection within three months.
Commuters can collect the subsidy for the previous month from the 16th of each month through the same channels from then onwards.
Details of the Scheme are available at the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme website (www.ptfss.gov.hk). For further queries, please call 1823. read more
The Government announced today (November 1) that the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, has appointed Mr Laurence Li Lu-jen and Mr Tim Lui Tim-leung to the Financial Leaders Forum, effective from November 1, 2018 to August 17, 2019.
The membership of the Forum is as follows:
Chairman
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Financial Secretary
Members
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Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan
Mrs Laura Cha Shih May-lung
Mr Chow Chung-kong
Mr Joseph Yam Chi-kwong
Mr Carlson Tong
Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi
Dr David Wong Yau-kar
Mr Laurence Li Lu-jen
Mr Tim Lui Tim-leung
Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission
Chaired by the Financial Secretary and established in August 2017, the Financial Leaders Forum is a high-level platform comprising top leaders from the financial community as well as key financial regulators. It is an institutional set-up underpinning the vision of the Government in playing a more active leading role in policymaking and on matters relating to monetary stability, financial safety and regulation to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre. Members of the Forum provide advice from a strategic point of view and offer forward-looking suggestions on key aspects crucial to the development of Hong Kong as a leading international financial centre. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank of Singapore Limited on suspicious mobile appl… read more
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (November 1). The value of total retail sales in September 2018, provisionally estimated at $36.6 bil… read more