SHENZHEN may take the lead in China by designating women-only carriages on two or three of its most-congested Metro lines during rush hours by the end of this month at the soonest, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

Giving priority to female passengers is a humanity-based measure that is good at improving the commuting experience and safety of female passengers, Liu Qingsheng, a member of the Shenzhen Party standing committee, told visiting political advisers headed by Wang Rong, chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, on Wednesday. Liu also said that the program could be expanded to other Metro lines if it proves good.

Wang conducted research on the subject in Guangzhou and Shenzhen after Su Zhongyang made the proposal at the annual session of the provincial political advisory body. Su said women-only carriages would show society’s respect and protection of women, as many women feel embarrassed when they are jammed too close to others in train cars.

Shenzhen Metro Group said that the city’s eight Metro lines handle 4.5 million passengers a day. Some Metro lines are overcrowded during rush hours. The operator said it hadn’t received complaints over harassment from any riders so far.

However, the operator thinks it is a good idea but hard to implement as it could reduce the overall capacity of trains and easily cause disputes when male passengers enter the carriages.

Nine cities in the world have adopted the practice of women carriages to prevent sexual harassment caused by congestion.

(Lei Kaibin, Han Ximin)