THE Government’s $25 monthly bus fare assistance operates on a user-pay system, says Social Protection Minister Sashi Kiran.
Ms Kiran said the system allowed unused funds to be carried forward to the next month but the maximum allocation for each month remained at $25.
While speaking during a talanoa session, she said if a beneficiary used only part of the allocation in a month, the remaining balance would be carried forward and the system would only top up what was needed to return the balance to $25.
“For example, if in February you only used $10, the remaining $15 will be carried forward to March. In March, the system will only top up the balance required to bring it back to $25.”
She said the monthly allocation would never exceed $25.
“However, the system is different for people aged 70 and above.
“The Government had decided not to provide bus fare assistance through the e-ticketing card issued by Vodafone Fiji for those in that age group.”
Instead, she said, the $25 assistance would be paid directly into their social welfare pension accounts.
“For people over the age of 70, the Government has made a decision not to provide the bus fare assistance through the Vodafone e-ticketing card,” she said.
She said this meant elderly beneficiaries would receive the additional amount together with their monthly pension payments.
“For example, if you are receiving $125 per month, the additional $25 will be added, bringing the total to $150 every month,” she said.
During the talanoa session, a woman from Lekutulevu, Sera Sekakala, said although she was supposed to receive $25 each month, she only received $10.
Responding to the concern, Ms Kiran said the matter should be reported to the ministry so it could be investigated and rectified.
“I believe you are below 70 years old, right? If that is the case and you are experiencing that issue, you should notify our office,” she said.
She said the ministry would then check with Vodafone to determine the cause of the discrepancy.
“The amount should be $25 every month. If you are receiving less than that, it needs to be reported to us so we can investigate and resolve the issue.”
