The Ladies’ Coach
We just got back from a short trip to Delhi, where we renewed our passports, saw some friends, and did a little shopping and sightseeing. In an effort to save money on taxis (and avoid Indian road rage) we tried riding the Delhi Metro around town. And I made a fun discovery: the Ladies’ Coach!
A flowery pink sign at each station designates the waiting area for the “women only” metro car; on most lines, it’s the first car. When riding with my husband, I felt fine in any of the other cars, where the riders were mostly men, or couples or families riding together. But I wanted to try the Ladies’ Coach, so on a return trip we separated and I waited under the pink sign. There weren’t many women in the car I rode in, although quite a few got on at the stop near the mall! I spotted several mother-daughter pairs. 
Two women across from me seemed to be planning a dinner party; I overheard snatches of conversation about guests, chairs, and quantities of food. One young woman got on pulling a large, bright-pink suitcase; I wondered if she was headed off on a trip, or maybe returning home.
My stop was at the end of the line, and as I exited the car I asked the women behind me if they always rode the Ladies’ Coach. They nodded, and said that they probably wouldn’t ride the metro if there wasn’t a women-only car. If you’re interested in the kinds of conversations women have on the Delhi Metro, see this BBC article, “Overheard on the Ladies’ Coach”:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30657144
OK, LA Metro, how about it?
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged metro by Lisa