High Bus Fares for Polytechnic students

It is obviously unfair that SMRT and SBS charge polytechnic students adult fares while JC students only pay 45cents per trip. Are we not of the same age as JC students? Do we NOT travel as much as JC students do? Are our families any better off than theirs? The general answer is NO, Polytechnic students are in fact just average students. Yes, there are elder students who are already working and capable of supporting themselves, but they still hold a very much smaller percentage as compared to the young students fresh from secondary school. I do believe SMRT and SBS are smart enough to not make decisions based on stereotyping thinking, and i certainly do believe that they are capable of being fair and unbiased, so i take it this fare difference was due to negligence in decision discussion and making. A higher fare would very directly affect the students' moods about school, discouraging students from poorer families to continue with their studies. This could impact the Singaporean economy as the majority of people studying go to polytechnics after their O levels, and a high fare would discourage workers from coming back to polytechnics to upgrade themselves.
What i'm going to suggest is a flat fare rate for all polytechnic students, and a further possibility of a flat rate of 45 cents for students who are 16-20 years of age. Same goes for concession prices, polytechnics are in fact less accessible than JCs and may need to switch buses/mrts more frequently, so it would help if concession prices were dropped to the same prices as JC students'. I believe that if this action were to be taken, more people would be encouraged to go to polytechnics to study and upgrade themselves for the good of the society.

Sign this petition with your respective polytechnics, student numbers and name if you feel the same. A letter has been sent in to TIBS and this petition will be referred to by them shortly. We encourage everyone to sign this petition to help lower our high bus fares.

Signed, Pang Khin Wee and Liang Yuqing from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.