This week's question: If you could change the Octopus' trademark 'doot' sound, what would you change it to?
Benjamin Allen, 16, La Salle College
In our fast-paced city, the Octopus bleep we are all so familiar with adds to the stress and tension of a working day. It is a constant reminder of how packed our schedules are, and how we rush through life.
I believe a simple tune, like a major scale, would be a nice refreshing change. The Octopus card receptors could be programmed so that every time someone passes through, a different note would be played, until the scale was completed.
This would be simple to put into practice, and would be a welcome change from the boring old 'doot' we hear every time we walk through MTR turnstiles or get on the bus.
Scarlett Ho, 16, St Paul's Convent School
The 'doot' sound has no real meaning. It should be turned into something meaningful, such as 'thanks'. Considering how many people use an Octopus card, if the sound was changed to 'thanks', citizens would be reminded of the importance of basic manners.
In a 2006 Reader's Digest survey on politeness, Hong Kong came 25th out of 35 countries. It's hard to change attitudes - but not impossible.
I believe a new Octopus sound could be a wake-up call for the city, and a way to get people to behave better. If we want to compete on a global scale, we need to adopt globally acceptable behaviour.
