Hong Kong authorities can only apply a new pricing model for the HK$2 (25 US cent) transport fare scheme by September of next year because they need time to organise updates, checks and tests covering 17,000 Octopus card readers on vehicles and ferries, the welfare chief has said.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han also revealed on Thursday that only 360 elderly or people with disabilities took more than 240 trips a month using the concessionary fare, based on data from last year.
But the changes were criticised for failing to save much money while disproportionately impacting a large segment of the population.
Sun provided further details at a press briefing on Thursday, saying: “It takes time for us to ensure all 17,000 Octopus card readers work perfectly and error-free as we update them. Most of them are offline. We also have to wait after the operation hours to update and test the card readers one by one, which is also time-consuming.”
