There will be no U-turn on the recent move to introduce women’s coaches on trains, says transport minister Anthony Loke. He said that the majority of daily commuters on public transport are women, and during peak hours, safety is a concern among females.
“According to data from Prasarana and Touch n Go, 62& of daily users of public transport are women. During peak hours, the issue of safety has become a concern for many female riders. Hence the women’s coach was introduced on the Rapid KL MRT Kajang Line, and it will be introduced on other lines too,” he said. “This is a right initiative, we’ll defend it despite the criticism,” the Seremban MP added.
A couple of months ago, Loke said that there was an increase in cases of sexual harassment on trains. “The introduction of women-only coaches is due to the fact that we are seeing an increase in case of sexual harassment on trains. During rush hour, women have to ride on overcrowded trains and sometimes there is physical contact,” he said.
Those who commute daily on trains, what do you think of women’s coaches? My two sen is that it’s a great move if it makes female riders feel safer, and men should respect it and not encroach into the designated cars.
But now that the coaches and platforms are reserved and clearly marked (with frequent announcements in trains too so no one can claim ignorance), ladies should proceed to the women’s coach and not take up space in the other coaches. Many are quick to lambast thick skinned men caught sitting in the pink zone, and rightly so, but perhaps the ladies can bertimbang rasa too. Let’s all respect each other.
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