Lest we forget, those travel concession passes for senior citizens and students are pre-paid expenses.
Should members of either category happen to take less trips - because of sicknesses or other reasons that prevent them from boarding a daily train or bus - there's no rebate on the monthly ticket value. If the public transport operators are sincere about providing relief from cost-of-living pressures, they should offer percentage discounts off daily fares as in the schemes for the low-income and disability groups. You have to take a very large pinch of salt to imagine the new schemes will actually cost the government anything close to the $50 million figure they quoted. Besides, that $50 "largesse" is deducted from tax revenues, not the bottomless defence budget or ministerial salaries. Wait a minute, Gerard Ee and his Public Transport Council (PTC) mafia are not done, they already decided on a 3.4 per cent increase for next year, based on a "rollover" of the original intent of a 6.6 percent hike.
To justify the 3.2 per cent fare increase, which happens to be higher than previous adjustments, the gang of goons assume that the average national wage increase is likely to be close to 5 per cent for the full year because of generally better year-end bonuses. Did you get a wage increase close to 5 per cent or enjoyed "better year end bonuses"? If you did, raise your hands ("keechiu")! Otherwise, feel free to show them the middle finger.
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| They were supposed to go take a hike, not hike the fares |