The MTR is giving away 500 passes to vaccinated individuals to take unlimited subway trips for a year, becoming the latest company to dangle jab incentives in front of a Hong Kong public that will absolutely not say no to free stuff.
Details of the handout are still being discussed. Using the calculation of two trips a day at a maximum fare of HK$27 (US$3.50) for a full year, each pass is worth around HK20,000 (US$2,580), the MTR wrote in an emailed statement.
The freebies will not extend to Airport Express rides, journeys to and from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, and shuttle bus trips.
MTR’s announcement comes as the Hong Kong government says it welcomes initiatives at the commercial sector aiming to encourage vaccinations.
Read more: Airport Authority to give out 60,000 free air tickets to vaccinated individuals
Last Friday, after property developers put up a flat worth nearly HK$11 million (US$1.4 million) as the grand prize of a lucky draw, jab rates shot up over the weekend.
As of Monday, around 21% of the population has received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. Just over 15% are fully vaccinated, according to official figures.
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