Photos: Hong Kong's Octopus card

A word in your shell-like, Oyster...

By Dan Ilett, 29 June 2006 08:20

The card works in a similar way to London's Oyster card.

But Octopus has extended the card's applications to areas beyond transportation...

Photo credit: Dan Ilett

Comments

There are 13 comments. Join the discussion

  1. 1. Richard

    You couldn't take this photo in "free" London: Only in "repressive" Hong Kong!

  2. 2. anonymous

    What prevents the photo from being taken in London?

  3. 3. John L Evans

    Richard - what is your point?

  4. 4. John Defoe

    Yes, well, Hong Kong's regulatory systems are different, aren't they? Here, TfL had to give up with their proposed e-purse because it got too complicated. For the background, see http://smartstore.scnf.org.uk/article2.asp?ID=38133

  5. 5. Cassandra

    Perhaps the point is this is a non-story, persons use an e-card to pay for things and as ID to access places. Worth the airfare to China? Hardly, exceptig the propaganda value.
    It is a puff to raise profile and help us to forget human rights issues - 'look how advanced our technology is and how happy our citzens are to use it.'
    In the west personal data is private unless obtained by warrant - in China what protection from state snooping, what controls, checks or balances are there? As Richard said - you could have taken these pictures in London - or Scotland where schoolchildren were all issued with a 'One' card - but here it is on a consensus use basis.

  6. 6. Richard

    Re. Photo of people passing through train ticket barrier:

    My comment was specifically about the photo which shows people passing through an automatic train ticket barrier, which looked very similar to those used in London's Underground.

    In London, such a flash photo, in such a location would not be permitted without very special written permission.

    In London, they'd automatically assume that the photographer was planning an attack.

    Perhaps the photographer was "just lucky" but this shows an interesting contrast between "free" London and "repressive" China.

  7. 7. Harry

    Is your point that the London Underground has regulations to deter attack by bad people seeking to activate bombs with a camera flash?

    Is this even the case. Bad people are not known for following regulations.

    Is your case that the UK and London in particular is repressive and China is not?

  8. 8. DDoo

    The cards are anonymous, there is no record on who buys which card over the counter, unless you choose to register the card with your identity. People are happy to get away from keeping small changes in their pockets, it beats all previous attempts of issuing ecards from the banks. Imagine there are more cards than the population and each carries an average of $100 prepaid deposit, that is $1.3 billion free loan to the company, it is simply a success story.

  9. 9. Chris Waghorn

    Talk about missing the point and getting sidetracked into minutia. The thing is the Octopus card is a stunningly clever tool that makes living in one of the busiest cities in the world a little easier. Its acceptance on trains, buses, taxis, trams, ferries make travel a cinch, its acceptance in convenience stores speeds the queue up, it's amazingly user friendly, even for tourists and it is the perfect example about a cashless tool, irrespective of the politics of the governing country, be they fascist UK or communist China.

  10. 10. H

    Cassandra, Have you ever been to HongKong?

  11. 11. James Button

    Ah! - A non-compulsory ID card you cannot do without!
    - - - - - - - - -
    And It's a success!
    Possibly because the government (the one now running Hong Kong) left it to industry to develop, finance, markey and distribute

  12. 12. Simon

    I think Richard means you can't take photos of kids in the UK, even your own!

  13. 13. CCL

    Hong Kong had the Octopus card ages ago and even back then, i found it really convenient - especially back then, if you have 1 cent left in your card, you could use it for one full journey to anywhere! It might be different now, i don't know.

    However, the Oyster card in London - similar to the Octopus card, but more of a con (unsurprising since we're in the UK here) and not as effective. I can't see it being as effective as it is with the Octopus card....

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