Women’s MRT coaches meant for safety are now under fire over rude behaviour and disappearing public courtesy.
WHAT was intended to be a safer and more comfortable commuting space for women is now being questioned online for a different reason, a perceived lack of basic courtesy.
A viral post on Threads by user @priangka_elizabeth has triggered a heated debate after she described repeated unpleasant experiences inside the MRT women’s coach.
She accused passengers of a lack of awareness and a refusal to make space for others during crowded journeys.
“To be honest, the MRT women’s coach is the worst of all,” she wrote, claiming that some passengers “stand like statues”, ignore elderly commuters who are left standing, and remain glued to their phones without paying attention to those around them.
The situation reportedly escalated when she eventually “snapped” and instructed passengers to move further inside the carriage so that others could board.
“There was plenty of space inside!” she added, while calling on MRT authorities to carry out regular checks across all coaches.
Her frustrations quickly resonated with other commuters, many of whom shared similar accounts of poor etiquette and a lack of consideration for vulnerable passengers.
User @_joliwong complained about passengers leaning their entire bodies against poles, preventing others from holding on for support — a behaviour she described as something that “really grinds my gears”.
User @shugashini27 stated that some passengers wearing headphones ignore repeated requests of “excuse me” from those attempting to exit the train.
User @nradina_ shared that she often struggled to find seating while travelling with her toddler and occasionally had to ask younger passengers to give way to the elderly.
Perhaps most surprising were the claims that pregnant women often find the mixed coaches more accommodating than the dedicated women’s section.
User @mangochutney92 revealed that her pregnant colleague deliberately avoids the “pink coach” because she has a better chance of being offered a priority seat elsewhere.
This sentiment was echoed by @nashfa_ibrahim, who felt passengers in mixed coaches were generally more attentive to those in need.
She questioned why visibly pregnant women should even have to ask for a seat, lamenting that “common courtesy has completely disappeared”.
While user @nradina_ admitted that the women’s coach remains the safest option when travelling alone with a child, the ongoing discussion suggests a shift in public focus.
The women’s coach was established to provide a sanctuary from harassment and overcrowding.
However, the current discourse suggests that the problem is no longer just about men invading the space, but about how women treat one another within it.
