The Government today announced that from August 25, 2024, all Hong Kong residents aged 60 or above must use a JoyYou Card to enjoy the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly & Eligible Persons with Disabilities.

Existing Anonymous Elder Octopus and ordinary personalised Octopus cards will cease to be applicable for the $2 Scheme from that day.

Eligible people are invited to apply for a JoyYou Card as soon as possible.

Eligible beneficiaries who have not yet applied for a JoyYou Card should submit their applications by post or via the Octopus App to Octopus cards. Videos illustrating steps for making an application and distribution points for paper application forms are available online.

There are 106 community support service units for those with disabilities subvented by the Social Welfare Department that will distribute JoyYou Card promotional leaflets and application forms, handle enquiries and render assistance to members/people with disabilities in their application.

The department will also invite the self-help organisations of people with disabilities/chronic illnesses under financial support schemes subsidised by the department to encourage and assist their members aged 60 or above to apply for a JoyYou Card.

The Government lowered the eligible age of the $2 Scheme from 65 to 60 from February 27, 2022, and required Hong Kong residents aged 60 to 64 to use a JoyYou Card to enjoy the concessionary fare.

JoyYou Card applications from Hong Kong residents aged 65 or above were accepted in batches from June 1, 2022, and some 1.25 million applications have been received to date.

Meanwhile, eligible people with disabilities aged below 60 can continue to enjoy the $2 concessionary fare using the Personalised Octopus card encoded with "Persons with Disabilities Status" and need not apply for a new card.