Octopus card glitch leaves hundreds of MTR passengers out of pocket
A technical problem meant some 340 passengers were not given interchange discounts. The MTR says they have now fixed the problem and the charges will be refunded soon.
More than 300 Octopus card users who passed though turnstiles at three West Island Line MTR stations may not have received interchange discounts for a week due to a software glitch.
The MTR Corporation acknowledged on Sunday that it would have to refund a total amount of about HK$1,300 to the 340 affected passengers at a loss between 70 cents to HK$13.8 per person.
The blame was placed on a trial software upgrade at Kennedy Town, University of Hong Kong and Sai Ying Pun stations between April 15 and April 22. The MTR said the problem was fixed and users would be compensated.
Several passengers flagged the issue with staff and complained that their eligible discounts accrued from transiting in between lines or other public transport networks had been omitted, after exiting certain gates at the three stations.
An MTR spokeswoman said the problem only affected passengers who had used their Octopus cards for other transactions between journeys, such as toping up their stored value cards or buying things at convenience stores, before swiping out of the exits.