2016年CRI Female Only Buses Raise Eyebrows in Zhengzhou

 

It's 8 am on a weekday in Zhengzhou. A Route 906 bus is pulling in towards a bus stop, where a crowd of commuters have been anxiously waiting.

However, only certian passengers are allowed onto the bus, which carries a big red sign by its front window that read "Females Only."

The service was recently launched by the local transit² operator in Zhengzhou to create a safe commuting³ environment for female passengers.

"I only realized this was a female-only bus after I got on. It's a good idea. Women like to wear skirts in the summer, which makes our commute¹ a bit inconvenient⁴ at times. This is a good move."

"Now that summer is here, I can wear dresses and skirts and feel safe."

"I hope there will be more female-only buses on the roads in Zhengzhou. I think even the subway system should consider opening female-only cars."

The female-only buses are offered during morning and evening rush hours.

It is the latest in a series of services catering⁵ to female passengers by the local bus operator in Zhengzhou, which has also set up private feeding areas for new mothers at its bus stations.

While most of the women asked appear to support the new women-only buses, some men are also on-board with the idea.

"This is a very humane⁶ and considerate service for women. In the summer, there are often cases of sexual harassment⁷ or misconduct on buses. But now there is a safer option. If you mix men and women, there can be inconveniences for the women."

However, not all men who ride the buses in Zhengzhou aren't so enthusiastic about the service, including this elderly gentleman who was caught off-guard when told he wasn't able to board the bus.

"This is called discrimination! This is a public bus, and you are discriminating⁸ against men! You have a special female bus, but what about us elderly people? You can't operate like this!"

Others argue that instead of providing gender⁹ specific services, the bus company should develop other ways to better serve its passengers.

This bus driver is one of them.

"I'm a bus driver in Zhengzhou. I think the bus company is simply making a show of it with its female-only service. During rush hours, many commuters are anxiously waiting to get to where the need to go. We should be thinking about how to come up with better routes, as well as regulate passenger behavior. I don't think it's appropriate to allocate¹⁰ public resources for a specific group."

The bus company says the service is only in its trial run.

Depending on the public reception, the company will decide whether to expand the service to more routes.

A small-scale online poll by Sina News shows a nearly equal divide between supporters and opponents of the female-specific service.

Over 40-percent of those who took the survey admit they have seen inappropriate behavior against women on public transportation.

While new in China, female-only public transport services have long been available in neighboring countries, such as Japan and Vietnam.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

4 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

5 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

6 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

8 discriminating   

a.有辨别能力的

参考例句：

• Due caution should be exercised in discriminating between the two. 在区别这两者时应该相当谨慎。
• Many businesses are accused of discriminating against women. 许多企业被控有歧视妇女的做法。

9 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

10 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。