EditorialFare abuse crackdown is the correct first step

In a city with an integrated public transport network, the government-subsidised HK$2 concessionary fare for senior citizens and the disabled has to be one of the most effective and practical welfare initiatives. It helps them maintain an active life and ward off social isolation.

Sadly it has also proved hard for cheats to resist. As a result abuse of the fare by people not entitled has added to concerns about the cost, especially since the previous administration lowered the eligibility threshold from 65 years of age to 60 last year.

The cost to taxpayers of covering the gap between HK$2 and the regular fare quadrupled to well over HK$1 billion by 2020 and is estimated to exceed HK$8 billion by 2031.

Abuses are not easy to detect amid heavy passenger turnover, but figures tabled before the legislature revealed more than 25,000 suspected cases among routine ticket inspections and joint monitoring by the Transport Department and operators over the past three years.

Cheating seems to have become a widespread problem since the scheme was introduced in 2012. In recent hard times and government economic relief like public cash handouts through e-vouchers, perhaps the temptation to abuse a generous transport subsidy is not surprising.

A wider overhaul of the scheme should not be ruled out. But to safeguard its intended and socially worthwhile benefits, more rigorous enforcement of the rules has to be the first consideration.