Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs 2 December 2016 NEW PASSION SILVER CONCESSION CARD FOR SENIORS TO STAY ACTIVE AND ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY New card will benefit all Singaporeans aged 60 and above 1 A new PAssion Silver Concession Card will be launched to make it more convenient for seniors to stay active and engaged in the community. The Card will be jointly launched on 4 December 2016 by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association and Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport. 2 An initiative under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing 1 , the PAssion Silver Concession Card is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and People’s Association with support from the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Business Federation. 3 The PAssion Silver Concession Card merges the existing Senior Citizen Concession Card and PAssion Card, and will serve as a common identifier for the community and businesses to honour our seniors. Seniors can look forward to Senior Citizen concessionary fares on public transport, in addition to a suite of merchant benefits and privileges. They will also have access to the People’s Association’s exciting range of courses, activities and programmes such as Senior Academy and Course Xpress courses. 4 The Card will be issued free to all Singapore Citizens aged 60 years and above. Starting 5 December 2016, the PAssion Silver Concession Card will be automatically mailed in batches to the registered home addresses of Singapore Citizens who are existing Senior Citizen Concession Card holders. Eligible Singapore Citizens who do not currently hold a Senior Citizen Concession Card will receive a letter by 31 January 2017, inviting them to submit their photograph so that they can receive a PAssion Silver Concession Card. All seniors who are eligible as of 31 January 2017 will receive their cards by 31 March 2017. Singapore Citizens who turn 60 on or after 1 February 2017 will receive their invitation letters when they turn 60. 1 Visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/successfulageing.html for more information on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. 1 Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs 5 Upon receiving their PAssion Silver Concession Card by mail, seniors will need to activate their Card to start enjoying concessionary fares on public transport. Seniors can bring their new PAssion Silver Concession Card, along with their NRIC or existing Senior Citizen Concession Card (if any), to any TransitLink Ticket Office or Temporary Booth. 6 In view of the launch of the new PAssion Silver Concession Card, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing said, “Through the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, we have put together a comprehensive package of initiatives to encourage seniors to stay active and engaged in the community and enjoy their silver years. This card will serve as a platform to rally businesses and community partners around seniors, to honour and respect them and create more opportunities for seniors to enjoy many more years of healthy life.” 7 Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association, said, “The PAssion Silver Concession Card is a good example of how multiple government agencies are working together to better serve our senior citizens. With one card, seniors are now empowered to enrich their lives through the whole suite of programmes offered by PA such as the Senior Academy and Golden Work Series. The card also offers them transport mobility and the ability to stay socially connected. We hope these efforts will enable our seniors to age well in a cohesive and supportive environment.” 8 Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport, said, “The PAssion Silver Concession Card will make it even more convenient for our seniors to enjoy concession fares. We hope the card will facilitate their active lifestyles by helping them get from place to place comfortably, conveniently and more affordably.” 9 Seniors with further queries on the PAssion Silver Concession Card can contact TransitLink Hotline at 1800-2255 663. The hotline operates daily, except Public Holidays, from 8.00am to 6.00pm. 10 Your journalist and photographer are cordially invited to attend the Launch of the PAssion Silver Concession Card on Sunday, 4 December 6.00pm at the hard court next to Block 116, Commonwealth Crescent. The programme and location map are attached at the Annexes. Please RSVP to the undersigned by Friday, 2 December 2016. Annex A: PAssion Silver Concession Card Factsheet Annex B: List of TransitLink Ticket Offices and Temporary Booths Annex C: Programme and location map _________________________________________________________________ For more information, please contact the media contacts listed below. Contact persons: Khaw Ee Cheah Senior Manager (Membership Relations) Membership & Community Partnership Division People’s Association Tel: 9155 1824 Email: [email protected] 2 Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs Guenevere Cordeiro Senior Manager (Corporate Communications) Ministry of Health Tel: 9389 1918 Email: [email protected] Matthew Chia Assistant Director (Corporate Communications) Ministry of Transport Tel: 9637 1963 Email: [email protected] 3 Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs Annex A PAssion Silver Concession Card Factsheet Background The PAssion Silver Concession Card programme is one of 70 initiatives under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing2 and is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport (MOT) and People’s Association (PA) with support from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF). The Card merges the existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card and PAssion Card programme, and will serve as a common identifier for the community and businesses to honour our seniors. With the PAssion Silver Concession Card, seniors will be able to enjoy concessionary fares on public transport, in addition to a suite of merchant benefits and privileges. By leveraging on PA’s existing PAssion Card programme, its community network and partners, the programme also enables seniors to continue to stay active, be engaged with the community and live well. Launch and Distribution of PAssion Silver Concession Card The PAssion Silver Concession Card will be officially launched on 4 December 2016. All Singapore Citizens aged 60 and above are eligible for the PAssion Silver Concession Card. The design of the PAssion Silver Concession Card is as below: 2 Visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/successfulageing.html for more information on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. 4 Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs Starting 5 December 2016, the PAssion Silver Concession Card will be automatically mailed by TransitLink to the registered home addresses of Singapore Citizens who are existing Senior Citizen Concession Card holders. The distribution plan is as follows: 1) Singapore Citizens 60 years old and above who are eligible as of 31 January 2017: a) Auto-Conversion: Singapore Citizens currently holding the purple Senior Citizen Concession Card for public transport travel (approx. 620,000 pax) will receive their PAssion Silver Concession Card by mail between December 2016 and March 2017. The new PAssion Silver Concession Card will replace their existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card. They need not apply. b) Opt-In: Singapore Citizens who are not currently holding the purple Senior Citizen Concession Card for public transport travel (approx. 135,000 pax) will receive through the mail, an invitation pack to sign up for the PAssion Silver Concession Card from December 2016. We will process and send the Cards to all currently eligible seniors by 31 March 2017. 2) Singapore Citizens who are turning 60 on or after 1 February 2017 will receive their invitation pack in their birthday month. Upon TransitLink’s receipt of their application, the seniors will receive their PAssion Silver Concession Cards through the mail within two weeks. Seniors who do not apply for the PAssion Silver Concession Card within the timeline stated in their invite letter will receive a PAssion Silver Card (Non-Concession), mailed to them within two months from their birthday month. This card will allow them to access all of the card programme’s benefits and privileges, with the exception of concessionary fares on public transport and activation of longer crossing time at Green Man + pedestrian crossings. The design of the PAssion Silver Card (Non-Concession) is as follows: 5 Embargoed until 4 December 2016, 1930hrs Activate the PAssion Silver Concession Card to Enjoy Concessionary Fares on Public Transport Upon receiving their PAssion Silver Concession Card, seniors will need to activate their Card to start enjoying concessionary fares on public transport. Seniors who receive their PAssion Silver Concession Card by 31 March 2017 have until 31 May 2017 to activate their cards. Seniors can bring their new PAssion Silver Concession Card, along with their NRIC or existing purple Senior Citizen Concession Card (if any), to any TransitLink Ticket Office. Additional temporary booths will be set up at selected MRT stations and bus interchanges to increase convenience for seniors. At the same time, seniors can also transfer the remaining card value and/or travel pass from their current purple Senior Citizen Concession Card to this new PAssion Silver Concession Card. The list of TransitLink Ticket Offices and temporary booths, with their operating hours, can be found in Annex B. Even without activating their cards, seniors can use their PAssion Silver Concession Cards to enjoy merchant benefits and discounts at all participating outlets.