The Transport Department (TD) today (May 14) reminded members of the public who have yet to claim the public transport fare subsidy for the month of January 2019 under the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme (the Subsidy Scheme) that they can collect it through the various existing subsidy collection channels provided under the Subsidy Scheme until tomorrow (May 15).
"To cater for those who may not have been able to claim the subsidy during the first three-month collection period, the Government has introduced an interim special arrangement whereby members of the public may apply, within one month from the day after tomorrow (i.e. from May 16 to June 15), to register for claiming for late collection of their expired subsidy by calling the Scheme hotline (2969 5500). Under normal circumstances, the customer service representatives manning the hotline will be able to confirm at once whether or not there is uncollected subsidy, and if so the relevant subsidy amount. Upon confirmation of the application, the uncollected subsidy can be collected through various subsidy collection channels from the 16th day of the month following the date of the application and will be valid for collection within a further three-month period thereafter. Any further late applications beyond June 15 will not be accepted," the TD spokesman said.
The service hours of the Scheme hotline are from 9am to 9pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 9 am to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Members of the public applying for claiming the expired subsidy can press "1" and "0" after choosing the language on the Scheme hotline to be connected to the customer service representatives directly for the application.
As at May 12, about 330 000 commuters, or 14 per cent of those eligible under the Subsidy Scheme, have yet to collect their subsidy for the month of January.
"Having regard to the fact that the Scheme is still at its early stage of implementation, the special arrangement for the late subsidy collection will be extended to cover those commuters who may not be able to collect their subsidy for the months of February and March by the end of the respective three-month periods. Notwithstanding that, members of the public who have yet to collect their subsidy for the months of February and March are advised to collect the subsidy through the established collection channels as soon as possible before June 16 and July 16 respectively," the spokesman said.
Commuters may check their record of public transport expenses and subsidy amount through the website of the Subsidy Scheme (www.ptfss.gov.hk), the Octopus App and the Scheme hotline. For enquires about the details of the Subsidy Scheme, please browse through the website of the Subsidy Scheme or call 1823.
Follow this news feed: East Asia