All Kerlian buses will return to being segregated by gender after a man was arrested for inappropriate conduct during a desegregation trial in three regions. The trial, which began in January, saw the buses in three regions scrap separate areas for men and women – usually left and right of the bus – and integrate the seating. It was the latest move in a series of reforms aimed at improving gender equality in the country.
At 08:13 on Monday 30th March, however, a man was arrested after allegedly touching a woman’s bottom on a standing-room-only rush hour bus in the capital city of Grapevale. In an initial court hearing, the man denied deliberately touching the woman, claiming he “accidentally scraped by while trying to disembark” due to how busy the bus was. He has been remanded in custody.
Following the incident, on Friday 3rd April, the Council announced that the trial would immediately be scrapped and all buses would return to their segregated state by Monday 6th at the latest. Travellers over the weekend in the three regions (Grapevale, Cherrytree and Northwood) are warned to take extra care, and all pre-booked bus tickets for this weekend will have their validity extended until Wednesday in case people wish to travel at a later date. Some additional women-only services may be added. Travellers are asked to check their local services on the TravelKerlile website.
The current bus services available in regions which were NOT involved in the trial include the usual segregated left-right buses, as well as some additional entirely women-only or men-only services available at rush hours on certain routes. Fully single-gender bus services are around 80% for women and 20% for men, with most men-only buses on routes heading to industrial estates and other male-heavy work locations.
The desegregation trial was part of the implementation of a key Reform Party pledge to desegregate wider Kerlian society; a policy which has gained in popularity recently. After this latest incident on Monday, however, support for both desegregation and the Reform Party has waned. It remains to be seen how – if at all – this affects support for the reformists long-term. The cancellation of the trial will be seen as a step backwards for reform of the matriarchal system, but it was likely the only option left in the face of the outrage provoked by the incident.
Anti-reform group Maintain Matriarchy released a statement following the incident: “even if this monster is telling the truth, it is proof that we need gendered transport facilities – there should not be a situation where it is possible for such a horrific ‘accident’ to occur. The only way to keep women safe from men is to keep the men away from women.”
The trial has not affected other forms of public transport, as trains already offer both mixed and single-sex carriage options; ferries have segregated space options; and domestic-only flights are rare.
