Guangzhou to introduce women-only subway carriages

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The Chinese city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, will provide women-only subway carriages from Wednesday this week, the city’s metro officials said on Friday.

In recent years, more and more cities around the world, such as Tokyo, New Delhi and Rio de Janeiro have introduced female-only carriages to stop commuters from being harassed.

Guangzhou Subway during rush hour. /China.org photo

There will be one such subway car for every train on Line 1, and it will be reserved for women during the rush hour from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. on workdays, the subway operator said.

But the carriages will also be flexible in normal off-peak times, allowing men when it’s not too busy.

The subway officials said the move was part of a call for more social attention towards respecting women.

The company will seek public opinion after the trial period, and make improvements. Some officials have already recognized that there might be some potential problems with the idea.

A women-only passenger carriage in Jakarta, Indonesia. /China.org photo

"Couples, friends and families may want to stay together, so in those cases, it is not suitable to force male passengers out of the carriages," one official with Guangzhou Metro said.

The city's subway operator made the decision following proposals saying women face being harassment on crowded public transport. 74 sexual harassment cases have been reportedly filed involving the Guangzhou Metro since 2015.

A women-only train in Tokyo, Japan. /China.org photo

With Inputs from Xinhua