Commuter spending under Hong Kong elderly transport scheme will be examined: John Lee
Chief Executive John Lee says he understands the concerns over scheme, but stopped short of confirming if review is needed.
Hong Kong’s leader has tasked government departments with looking into the spending patterns of commuters under a transport subsidy scheme for the elderly and investigating cases of abuse after economists called for a review of the policy and raised concerns about its financial sustainability.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday told reporters he understood the concerns, but he stopped short of confirming whether a review was needed. Instead, he said the priority should be on investigating cases of abuse under the so-called HK$2 (25 US cents) scheme, which allows elderly residents to travel on designated public transport paying a concessionary fare.
“Looking at some of the cases, there are suspicions [of abuse] and it is important that we step up enforcement actions,” he said. “We should deal with such abuse in a serious manner … We will not tolerate this, and I have asked relevant departments to do their best to enhance law enforcement.”