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Fining Men For Using Women-Only Coaches Is Anti-Man, Says Netizens
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Fining Men For Using Women-Only Coaches Is Anti-Man, Says Netizens

Some complained that fining men for using women-only coaches on public transport is unfair.

by
August 16, 2024

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The introduction of the women-only coach in public transport such as MRT and LRT was welcomed although it wasn’t a foolproof plan. Unfortunately, some men have entered the women-only coach and made some women feel uneasy.

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To manage this issue, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said the government is drafting a legislation to fine men who enter women-only coaches.

In addition, commuter service providers such as KTMB and MRT have been asked to step up monitoring of women-only carriages. This includes stationing auxiliary police personnel more frequently at stations to make sure men do not enter the pink carriages.

Loke said men should respect women’s carriages as they were introduced to help female passengers travel in safety and comfort.

Women-only coaches are labelled with pink stickers. Image: TRP File

Some men do not agree

However, not everyone agrees with this approach. Some people felt fining the men who entered the women-only coach was punishing men and an anti-man behaviour. They said there should be a solution where men don’t get penalised.

A Twitter user argued that the passenger total ratio to the number of available coaches for men does not tally. They explained that there’s only one to three women’s coaches while men had to share the unisex or general coaches with other women.

This becomes a challenge when there isn’t enough space for men to sit or stand during peak hours. He argued that it may be better to allow a few men to use the women-only coach which is not always filled up.

He also pointed out that some women do not use the women-only coach and take up space in the general coaches too. This also led to people saying to make it compulsory for women to fill up the women-only coach first.

Another person agreed with his argument and suggested introducing men-only coaches as it would do a better job of keeping women away or at least be flexible with the women-only coach on off-peak hours.

The floor is lava on the “pink side.” Image: @bitcoinmalaya/X

Meanwhile, some found the people criticising the fine failed to understand the issue. A Twitter user said the problem wasn’t about men versus women but civil consciousness and transit consideration for women.

She explained that not all men are rapists and predators but there’s no way of telling which men have bad or good intentions. Hence, it’s safer to leave the women-only coach to women. Since some men still enter the women-only coach, there must be a way to deter men from entering the space.

READ MORE: Outrage In The MRT: A Violation Of Privacy Sparks Public Fury

READ MORE: [Watch] TikTok User Says Man In Female Coach Pretended To Be On The Phone When Told To Leave

Unfortunately, the debate online has also led to sexist comments from users. One of them called to fine plus-sized women who use the general coach to “teach them a lesson” while another made a disingenuous argument that men were treated poorly after working for the whole day and “women take all the money.”

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