Public Transport Fare Concessions For Overseas Hong Kong Students 爭取留學生擁有公共交通學生乘車優惠權利

We want to raise our concern over the recently released anti-inflation policies, one of which sees local full time students to enjoy half-price concession whilst taking the Mass Transit Railway and Kowloon Bus. We believe this is unfair to all Hong Kong permanent residents who are studying overseas.

Our parents are both citizens and taxpayers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and they are hit by spiraling inflation as much as, if not worse than, everyone else. Moreover, we are both full time students and Hong Kong residents. Thus, it is well within reasons that we should be included in this scheme. Yet this so-called relief package does not in any way benefit us, and our families are also part of the society. On the other hand, it only alleviates the pressure of certain minority groups and fails to ease the plight of the general public, especially those among the middle-income families. This only serves to aggravate the inequality and resentment within the society.

Discount-price transportation fare policy is carried out among many leading economies. For example, Young Persons’ Rail Card of the National Rail Company in the United Kingdom allows any youth between 16 and 25 living or studying in the country to pay only 2/3 of the original fare, The Student Railway Pass of Tokyo Metro Company in Japan lets students travel between stations on the specified routes for free. In view of this, Hong Kong, suggested by your government as the Asia’s world city, should also follow the trend. Otherwise, your anti-inflation measures will be seen as favouring a small number of the population and working against your own government’s policies, and Hong Kong’s image as an international city may be damaged.