I read with interest, a Monday article in The Straits Times about an article titled 'Fare or not? Height of contention'. In gist, it's contention from some parents about the free travel height limit of 0.9m that transport operators have set. Currently, toddlers or children above 0.9m but who are still below the age of seven have to pay child concessionary rate, which ranges from 40 to 50 cts. Some parents are trying to agitate for the height limit of 0.9m to be raised, citing reasons that the height limit is unrealistic because children are growing taller these days. I started charting Rynae's height only recently but I remembered that when she was 30 months, she was already past 90cm! She is now pushing 99cm but I have not paid a single cent for her transportation. I too, felt that the height limit should be raised just like Beijing, which raised its height limit for free travel from 1.1m to 1.2m.
Our gah men is encouraging people to take public transport and urging families to have more babies right? Besides giving a bigger baby bonus, 1 more month of paid maternity leave and more childcare leave, it would be absolutely fabulous if children free transport be looked into too.
To what I understand, some children are already 90cm by their 2nd birthday. Why should transport operators be profiteering from defenseless toddlers? I am looking forward to the day where more hypes will be stirred on this issue and make rules change, just like the successful petition to bring forward the effective date of the baby benefit schemes.
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