Cover image via @__05yegga (Threads)
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What happened
Yegga Siny, a Threads user going by @__05yegga, posted on 23 March about an incident she witnessed on the MRT Kajang Line.
Several men were seated in the women-only coach even though the rest of the train had plenty of available seats. When she and her husband approached them to point out the rule, the men said they "don't care" and stayed put.
Their justification? Their wives and sisters were present.
"That does not change the purpose of a women-only coach," Yegga wrote.
She also noted that her husband, despite being on the train with her, chose to sit in the regular coach out of respect for the rule.
Her post struck a chord.
In the comments, others shared similar run-ins — men who laughed it off, ignored polite requests, or kept scrolling on their phones.
One commenter, @durgadevi_0502, described a nearly identical incident on the same day, from Masjid Jamek to TBS, where a man refused to leave the women-only coach and stayed on a video call throughout.
Screenshot of Yegga's viral Threads post showing men occupying MRT women-only coaches.
Image via @__05yegga (Threads)What the rule actually says
RapidKL's women-only coach was introduced on the Kajang Line in September 2023 and extended to the Putrajaya Line in April 2024.
The coaches are located in the middle section of every MRT train, covering parts of the second and third coaches, and are in effect at all times, including weekends and public holidays.
The rule is clear: only female passengers of any age are allowed, along with boys aged 12 and below when accompanied by a female guardian. People with disabilities and their caregivers are given priority to board any coach.
The coaches are easily identified by special pink stickers found at station platforms, doors, and inside the middle coaches. Regular announcements are also made inside trains and at stations.
As for couples or groups, the woman can ride in a regular coach with her male companion, who is not allowed in the women's coach. It's either that, or they split up. A man accompanying his wife or sister does not get an exception to ride the women-only coach.
So why does it keep happening?
This isn't an isolated incident. Since the women-only coach launched, similar complaints have surfaced regularly on social media — men who simply ignore requests to move, sometimes rudely.
In one widely-shared TikTok from late 2023, a male passenger ignored a polite request to vacate his seat, pretended to be on a phone call, and the woman who confronted him was also shouted at multiple times. When she sought security, she was told none were available.
Part of the problem is structural. Enforcement currently relies on occasional officers patrolling and telling violators to move.
There's no fine, no penalty, and no real consequence for refusing.
According to UKM engineering lecturer Dr Ahmad Nazrul Hakimi Ibrahim, men who have dared women to "call the police" do so because they know there is no specific legislation explicitly enforcing women-only coaches, leaving authorities with limited options.
There's no fine; at least, not yet
Currently, men entering women-only coaches are not committing a punishable offence.
In August 2024, Transport Minister Anthony Loke acknowledged this directly: "At present, there is no rule allowing us to fine men who disregard designated women's coaches," adding that the government was in the process of drafting legislation to address this.
That was over a year and a half ago. There has been no update on the proposed legislation since.
In the meantime, RapidKL advises female passengers to politely ask male passengers to move to the regular coaches, and if the situation persists, seek assistance from auxiliary police, other staff, or contact the RapidKL customer care centre.
Does the coach actually help?
Despite enforcement gaps, data suggests the women-only coach has made a difference.
Loke told the Dewan Rakyat in March 2024 that harassment complaints on the Kajang Line had fallen from eight in Q1 2023 to five in Q4 2023, even as ridership increased.
"Since its implementation, the number of sexual harassment complaints has declined, even as the number of passengers has increased," he said, while noting that there are still cases of non-compliance among male passengers who enter the women's coach.
The coach was introduced for a reason: a study by AWAM and Cent-GPS found that 57% of women experience verbal sexual harassment when walking in public, and 25% have been stalked all the way home.
The MRT coach is one attempt to carve out a safer space in an environment where women already feel exposed.
What you can do if this happens to you
If you encounter men in the women's coach and confronting them directly doesn't work or feels unsafe, here are your options:
Scan the WhatsApp QR code near the train doors to contact RapidKL customer service and send photos.
In at least one documented case, a RapidKL staff member arrived within minutes to remove the men.
Contact auxiliary police or MRT staff at the next station.
Call or email RapidKL's customer care: 03-7885 2585 or [email protected]
