A total of $488.4 million in subsidies was handed out to commuters in the first three months of the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme, Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan said today.

In a written reply to lawmakers, Mr Chan said based on commuters’ actual public transport expenses, the subsidy amounts for January, February and March are about $185.7 million, $120.9 million and $181.8 million respectively.

About 2.35 million, 1.94 million and 2.36 million people benefited from the scheme in those three months, with each commuter getting an average subsidy of $79, $62 and $77.

It is believed that February recorded a smaller amount of subsidy than January due to the Lunar New Year holidays and fewer calendar days in the month.

As at May 12, there are about 330,000 commuters who have not yet collected their subsidy for January - when the scheme was launched - involving about $15 million in subsidies.

They can call 2969 5500 from tomorrow to June 15 to register for the late collection of their expired subsidy.

Mr Chan said the Government will closely monitor the scheme’s implementation, and review its effectiveness, impact on the public transport services’ overall strategic arrangement and financial implications in early 2020.