The qualifying age for “seniors” for the RMB 2 ride discount has been lowered to 60 years old from February 27 this year. Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said in his blog today (17th) that Hong Kong’s population aged 60 to 64 has reached its peak, with more than 600,000 people. In 2061, it will be less than 400,000 people, and in the long run, it will be less than 300,000 people. Therefore, the population of 60 to 64 years old alone will not rise but fall, and the financial burden brought by the lowering of the age threshold for car discounts will gradually decrease. As for the long-term financial burden The problem is the aging of the overall population.
Luo continued to point out that in the middle of last year, there were regarding 600,000 people aged 60 to 64 in Hong Kong, and regarding 1.43 million people aged 65 or above. The former accounted for nearly 3 points2 of the discounted rides, but the authorities did not have their travel data. Assuming that their social life is more active than that of those aged 65 or above, for example, nearly half of them have jobs, and their daily average daily use of public transport is regarding 2 to 3 times that of those aged 65 or above, and the number of people aged 65 or above is is 0.85. So it’s almost certain that this year’s discount program will not exceed the budget. He also pointed out that only a more “loose” estimate can be made in the relevant budget, so as to avoid applying for additional funding from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council when the actual figure is too high. In the 2022-2023 budget, the $2 ride discount scheme involves HK$6,038.9 million.
In addition, Luo Zhiguang mentioned that the 2 yuan ride discount can be described as a kind of benefit that the elderly in Hong Kong have the most “sense of gain”. In terms of the above-mentioned “relaxed” budget, each Hong Kong person aged 60 to 64 receives an average monthly subsidy of more than HK$500, or more than HK$400 at a 20% discount. The most obvious benefit of the “elders” of the people is that more or less is “naturally a matter of opinion”.
