Round trip
Friday, 7 April 2006, 12:40 am
Lately I’ve been taking round trips going home when riding the MRT
so I can take a seat. Usually, I get on the last car going south so I’d be on the first car going north, which is a lot closer to where I get off (Quezon Ave.).
Now, I won’t be able to do that anymore since they already have this segregation policy, much like the one on the LRT1. The first car is now reserved for the elderly, disabled, children and female passengers. And apparently an able, non-elderly adult male may only be allowed in the first car if he is accompanying his pregnant wife.
When we were in grade school, my brother and I usually take round trips going home since it would take almost the same time waiting for a jeep going home from Welcome (now Mabuhay )Rotonda. If I remember it correctly, we rode those Quiapo Pier jeeps that would eventually have Fairview Market or Fairview Dahlia on their windshields (there wasn’t an SM Fairview yet then). A great majority of them were Sarao, with those iconic horses along with other burloloys on the hood.
With the ever increasing cost of transportation, I wonder how much the same round trip would cost now.
April 10th, 2006 at 12:37 am
Sad thing is, some women still don’t take advantage of their privilege. So the supposedly all-male couches would be filled with women. While the one reserved for women would be empty.
April 10th, 2006 at 1:02 am
Yes. And the sight of that can really be frustrating. Maybe the guards should also take a look at the 2nd and 3rd coaches and prod the women to move to the 1st one especially if it’s practically empty.
April 10th, 2006 at 7:09 pm
just a comment. there are certain stations that have their first coaches situated at the end of the walkway, way far from the entry/exit point of the station. imagine a harried, old woman walking the length of it. or even a preggie. or worse, an invalid. the segregation policy is good, but it came too late as infrastructures are already in place. so i’m batting for a revision.
April 10th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
@iris: That’s the other side of the story. The first car isn’t entirely convenient for the elderly, pregnant or disabled people. It would really depend on the station. I guess the next best thing would be to designate a part for each car for the eldery, pregnant or disabled. I think there’s something like that in the LRT lines. I’m not quite sure though.
April 20th, 2006 at 1:00 am
i got a feeling na Iglesia ni Cristo may pakana nun… separate genderification of public transport…
and doesn’t it suck that that there’s no stored value tickets for MRT anymore?