The Government’s $25 monthly bus fare assistance is a user-pay scheme that allows unused balances to be carried forward but will never pay out more than $25 in any month, Social Protection Minister Sashi Kiran said, while confirming a policy change for beneficiaries aged 70 and over. Ms Kiran set out the details and responded to a complaint at a talanoa session in which a woman said she had received only $10 instead of the full $25.
Under the arrangement, the fare assistance is topped up only as required to return a user’s balance to the $25 monthly allocation. Ms Kiran gave the example: if a beneficiary used $10 in February, the remaining $15 is carried forward to March and the system will only top up the amount needed to bring the balance back to $25. “The monthly allocation would never exceed $25,” she said.
The Minister also confirmed a different delivery method for people aged 70 and above. Rather than being credited to the Vodafone-issued e-ticketing card used by most beneficiaries, the $25 assistance for the over-70s will be deposited directly into their social welfare pension accounts and paid together with their monthly pension. Ms Kiran illustrated the change with a simple calculation: a pensioner receiving $125 per month would now receive $150 once the additional $25 is added.
The talanoa session in Lekutulevu saw beneficiary Sera Sekakala raise a concern that she had only received $10 instead of $25. Ms Kiran told Ms Sekakala she believed the complainant was under 70 and advised that any shortfalls should be reported to the Ministry so the ministry could investigate. “If you are receiving less than that, it needs to be reported to us so we can investigate and resolve the issue,” she said, adding the ministry would check with Vodafone to determine the cause of any discrepancy.
The clarification comes against the backdrop of the national e-ticketing rollout. Vodafone Fiji was awarded the contract to operate the country’s e-ticketing system in 2024, a move that has drawn public attention as the new system has been implemented across bus services. The Minister’s comments are the latest development aimed at explaining how fare assistance credits operate within that digital framework, and why older beneficiaries will receive payments by a different route.
Ms Kiran did not provide a timetable for when all reported discrepancies would be resolved, but said the ministry would liaise with Vodafone to trace any technical or allocation errors. The Minister’s assurance that unspent balances carry over — but do not push monthly payouts beyond $25 — seeks to address confusion among beneficiaries who have contacted officials with questions about lower-than-expected e-ticket balances.
By confirming the direct pension credit for those over 70, the Government has effectively removed the need for elderly beneficiaries to navigate the e-ticketing card system for their fare assistance. The move will increase the visible monthly pension payment by the $25 fare assistance amount and is intended to simplify payment for older Fijians while the ministry addresses ongoing operational complaints from other users.
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