Eight temporary application service centres set up to assist in handling JoyYou Card applications
The Government announced today (June 20) that to assist Hong Kong residents aged 60 or above in applying for JoyYou Cards so that they can continue to enjoy the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities ($2 Scheme), eight temporary JoyYou Card application service centres on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories will commence operation from next Monday (June 24).
From August 25 this year, all Hong Kong residents aged 60 or above must use a JoyYou Card to enjoy the $2 Scheme. Existing Anonymous Elder Octopus and ordinary Personalised Octopus will no longer be applicable. As for eligible persons with disabilities aged below 60, they can continue to enjoy the $2 Scheme using the Personalised Octopus encoded with "Persons with Disabilities Status" and need not apply for a JoyYou Card.
To assist persons in need in submitting applications or supplementary information as soon as possible, Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) will set up the following eight temporary JoyYou Card application service centres from next Monday until August 31 (see Annex for location maps):
- Conference Room, 2/F, Kennedy Town Community Complex (12 Rock Hill Street, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong);
- Conference Room, G/F, Leighton Hill Community Hall (133 Wong Nai Chung Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong);
- Room 210, 2/F, Wong Tai Sin Community Centre (104 Ching Tak Street, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon);
- Conference Room, Mong Kok Community Hall, L2, Mong Kok Complex (557 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon);
- Conference Room, G/F, Tai Yuen Community Hall (Tai Yuen Estate, Tai Po, New Territories);
- Conference Room, 4/F, North District Community Centre (2 Lung Wan Street, Sheung Shui, New Territories);
- Activity Room, G/F, Kwai Fong Community Hall (2 Lai Fong Street, Kwai Chung, New Territories); and
- Conference Room, G/F, Long Ping Community Hall (Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long, New Territories).
The opening hours of these service centres will be 9am to 8pm from Mondays to Fridays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. They will be closed on Sundays and public holidays. Members of the public who need assistance in applying for a JoyYou Card may visit these service centres during opening hours.
In addition, the Government has stepped up publicity to remind eligible persons to apply for JoyYou Cards as soon as possible, and has made good use of district and service networks to provide assistance to eligible persons with disabilities and elderly persons to make an application.
OCL will send out a JoyYou Card to an eligible applicant within four weeks upon receipt of a duly completed application. Applicants who have not received their JoyYou Cards four weeks after completing the application may call the hotline at 3147 1388 (press 0 after choosing the language to contact operators directly). For applications with incomplete information, OCL will also issue SMS or letters to the applicants concerned for follow-up. Applicants who received relevant SMS or letters should submit the supplementary information as soon as possible. Otherwise, their applications will not be processed further.
Furthermore, eligible beneficiaries who have not yet applied for a JoyYou Card could also submit their applications by post or via the Octopus App to OCL. Members of the public may visit the JoyYou Card webpage (www.octopus.com.hk/joyyou/en) for videos illustrating steps for making an application and distribution points for paper application forms (with a postage-free return envelope).
A JoyYou Card carries a personal photo and the name of the eligible beneficiary as proof of eligibility for enjoying the $2 Scheme. Each eligible person will be issued with one card only. The Government accepted JoyYou Card applications from Hong Kong residents aged 65 or above (born in 1956 or before) in batches from June 1, 2022. Some 1.3 million applications, equivalent to around 92 per cent of estimated eligible applicants, have been received to date.