Why Egyptian city introduced women-only buses
The city of Damanhour, Egypt had, about five days ago, introduced women-only buses.
But officials have said the move was not to combat sexual harassment as assumed by many.
“Of course we want to decrease any kind of violence against women, yet it is not the main reason for introducing the buses,” spokesperson for Beheira governorate Wahdan El-Sayed told Ahram Online.
El-Sayed, explaining that women were often physically unable to reach the bus doors due to men pushing their way onto the buses, said the governorate of the city had received complaints from women that they were unable to use public transportation, especially during rush hours.
Six out of 66 government-owned buses in the city have been allocated for women only, one of which is reserved just for women with disabilities.
“The buses only work during rush hour, though they will soon be operation throughout the day,” El-Sayed said.
The governorate has had to defend the move as many see it as discriminatory.
“We do not mean any kind of discrimination by this move as some people have been claiming, we just felt the urge to help elderly women to easily access public transportation,” says El-Sayed.
“Sexual harassment is of course part of the problem, though it represents only 10 percent of the factors behind the creation of women-only buses.”.
