Passengers have been entitled to buy a ticket in a compartment in which exclusively women or men travel for almost ten years, since July 1, 2007. According to statistics, today about 10 percent of travelers use this service. The reason for the low popularity is simple: someone still does not know about the "same-sex" coupe, many travel with the whole family, and some simply do not believe in such a possibility.
The RG correspondent was convinced of this from her own experience when she returned from a business trip to Tyumen the other day. The train ran from Nizhnevartovsk to Volgograd. The cars are almost filled to capacity. The northerners with their families have already moved closer to the fruits and the real summer. I had a ticket in my hands, in which the cherished "F" appeared. It seemed that this was a guarantee that I would have to eat, sleep and change clothes during the journey in the company of exclusively women. But it was not there. In the compartment, besides two women, there was a young man on the top shelf.
Yekaterinburg is only five hours away, and I wanted to give up on "gender injustice." But in a journalistic way it stuck: how is it, the ticket was sold to the women's compartment, but in fact there is a man in it.
Why, in principle, passengers choose "same-sex" compartments, I think, no need to explain. Nursing mothers, Muslim women, disabled people - for them, neighborhood with women is of fundamental importance. In addition, according to many ladies, men often snore, drink beer in the car, etc. The stronger sex has its own reason - they say that the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity are talkative, fussy and constantly eat something on the road. In general, everyone has their own motives, and the parties can treat each other as they like, but this is what the right to choose in which company to go is given.
In my case, neither the conductor nor the head of the train could explain why the compartment, indicated on the ticket as female, in fact turned into a mixed one. Both voiced repeated that it was a system failure:
Contact the box office where you bought your ticket. Obviously, the cashier messed up.
At the same time, the head of the train, entering the compartment and looking at the shelf where the young man was lying, blurted out at the whole car: "And this is a man ?!" In general, almost like Ilf and Petrov: "Who will say that this is a girl ..." I even felt sorry for the guy.
Jokes aside, but the train management definitely did not know how to act in this situation. There were no other women's compartments on the train, and where only men go, the guy from my compartment categorically refused to move. In addition, no one had any idea whether compensation or some bonuses from the carrier company are due for the cashier's mistake. In general, I had to figure out all the road-gender intricacies already upon arrival in Yekaterinburg.
Such failures happen very rarely, - said Yulia Ivanishcheva, head of the press service of the Ural branch of the Federal Passenger Company. - Obviously, the cashier just turned out to be inattentive. Usually, if the first passenger, when buying a ticket, selects a women's compartment and puts a corresponding mark, all subsequent seats in it are automatically considered women's, and no one else will be able to purchase a ticket in it if they wish. With men's coupes a little more difficult. Suppose the first passenger in the compartment was a man. Purchasing a travel document by a woman makes this compartment mixed. True, none of the men complained about "discrimination", and there are practically no complaints from ladies. As a rule, all problems can be solved on the train: conductors find a compartment where a passenger can be relocated based on gender.
According to Yulia Ivanishcheva, the choice of a "same-sex" compartment does not affect the cost of the ticket, which means that I am not entitled to any compensation.
Competently
Vasily Sidorov, General Counsel of the Yekaterinburg Center for Consumer Rights Protection:
In this case, there is a clear violation of the terms of the contract. And the contract is your ticket, and it clearly states that you are obliged to provide a place in a compartment where only women ride. The company that did not provide the service had to fix the problem on the spot, that is, to find a women's compartment. Or you had the right to return the ticket and get your money back. If neither one nor the other is done, the passenger can go to court and demand compensation. It doesn’t matter if the service is included in the ticket price or is written on a separate line. The main thing is that the passenger is endowed with such a right.
Meanwhile
"Gender" litigation with the railroad is rare, but it does happen. The story of Olga Ivanchenko from Moscow is especially indicative in this respect. She bought a ticket for the SV car marked "women's compartment" to take the night train from Kazan to Moscow. There was a man in the compartment, and she had to spend the night in his company. Olga spent almost a year litigating with Russian Railways, more precisely, with her "daughter" - the Federal Passenger Company. As a result, she was awarded the same compensation for the unproven service, took into account the moral damage and legal costs, paying the girl 17 thousand rubles. It should be noted that there have not yet been any processes with the participation of men during the years of the introduction of the "gender" service.
In several regions of Russia, railway workers are launching a new service at once. Long-distance trains include special carriages where men and women travel separately. Passengers were given the right to choose between "male" and "female" compartments. The greatest demand is for tickets in individual compartments for women. Meanwhile, the Federal Passenger Directorate of JSC "Russian Railways" has not yet given its subdivisions any instructions to change the rules for selling tickets. Local railway workers introduce the separation of passengers by sex at their own peril and risk. It is interesting that the farther the rails from Moscow, the less willing to sell tickets to men and women separately.One of the first to separate men and women in trains was the cashiers of the Gorky Railway. At the same time, the railroad workers did not carry out any special sociology. They simply gave the task to the cashiers to pay attention to how often they are asked for tickets in a compartment where only women will go or vice versa. As a result, the innovation began to work in branded trains of the Moscow direction - "Yarmarka" and "Nizhegorodets". Cashiers and help desk workers warn people that they can use the right to ride in a "women's" or "men's" compartment. The desire to travel in a "female" or "male" compartment does not affect the fare. Cashiers say that "female" coupes are in special demand. Men don't care who they spend the night with.
"This is convenient if passengers of different sexes do not want to travel in the same compartment. Often, women are especially afraid to travel with unfamiliar male fellow travelers. We understand this. And we adopt European standards that provide for the protection and protection of the passenger," the deputy head told Izvestia State Railways for Passenger Transportation Vladimir Kalyapin.
Separation of compartments by gender has been used for more than five years in two branded trains of the Petrozavodsk branch of the Oktyabrskaya railway, following to Moscow and St. Petersburg. This was done at the initiative of the passengers themselves. “When buying tickets, passengers are immediately asked to place them either in the “female” or “male” compartment, - says Mikhail Vasilyev, head of the reserve conductors of the Petrozavodsk passenger service directorate. - This service is in great demand among women. it is more convenient to change clothes, relax. The demand for this service is high, but so far we cannot increase the number of such compartments."
Meanwhile, the management of the Russian Railways company in Moscow turned out to be unprepared to comment on the actions of their subordinates. Some officials learned about the regions' "amateur activity" from an Izvestia correspondent. Some are convinced that gender division just does not meet international standards, and only in Russia have they thought of this. The only official comment was made by Vyacheslav Ershov, Deputy Head of the Federal Passenger Directorate of Russian Railways. He acknowledged that the issue is being worked out, and noted that "technologically, it will be difficult to sell tickets separately to men and women."
It should be noted that technological issues were resolved independently at the GZD. “The Express-3 computer system works in such a way that a woman cannot get a ticket to a “male” compartment, and vice versa,” Aleksey Syaganov, head of the press service of the State Railways, told Izvestia. “The cashier simply does not see empty seats in the lists, for example "men's" seats if the ticket is bought by a woman". However, GZD remains the exception to the rule. It is not hidden here that the railway showed initiative without the consent of Russian Railways.
The North Caucasian and Northern Railways are preparing to support the experiment. According to the forecast of the passenger service directorate of the Mineralnye Vody branch of the North Caucasian Railway, up to half of the compartments in the trains being formed in the south of the country will be equipped by gender in the coming year. The experiment will begin with the fast train N 3 "Kislovodsk-Moscow", where separate compartments will appear in the SV carriages. The northern road will begin the separation of passengers in the Arkhangelsk trains.
But the women of the Far East and the Krasnoyarsk Territory, most likely, will have to drive in the old way. Of the 17 railways in Russia, not all are interested in disseminating someone else's experience. In particular, there will be no separate compartments for men and women on the Krasnoyarsk Railway. “This is unjustified, first of all, from the point of view of the economy,” the press service of the railway told Izvestia. “The Krasnoyarsk railway is one of the longest in Russia. There are many large stations where many passengers get off and on. We won’t telling people we don't have a ticket for you because you are a man or a woman.
The Far East was also skeptical about this idea. “We haven’t received any instructions from Moscow. However, I heard something about this idea, but I just laughed,” Gennady Vedernikov, head of the press service of the Far Eastern Railway, told Izvestia. “It’s not so simple. be it in Khabarovsk, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod or any other city, they are sold through the unified all-Russian system "Express", which is involved in the main computer center of Russian Railways in Moscow. This means that special software is needed."
It should be noted that Russian Railways currently transport about 1 billion passengers a year. At the Far Eastern Railway, they believe that it is impossible to "sort" everyone according to the necessary compartments. For example, if a married couple took tickets in a compartment, then who should be added to them for two other seats - men or women? Or not to let the husband and wife into the same compartment and let them travel separately from the east to the west of the country for a week?! All these problems should be discussed only by the management of Russian Railways.
In many trains, one of the cars is divided into (women's and men's). Outwardly, this does not manifest itself in anything, the conditions are the same everywhere, the fare is the same. It's just that if this car is selected, in the male and female compartments your compartment neighbors will be passengers of the same gender, and in mixed compartments - as usual.
What does men's and women's coupe mean
On our website you can buy a train ticket in a women's or men's compartment. When you have chosen a train and look at the list of carriages in it, their main parameters are indicated there (for example, a compartment, with air conditioning, with a choice of women's and men's compartments). Then you enter your details. And if the train ticket is for a gender-separated carriage, among other things, you will have to choose what type of compartment you need:
- ladies coupe,
- men's coupe,
- mixed coupe.
The latter are intended for those who travel with families or are simply indifferent to the gender of their neighbors. The type of each specific compartment is determined by the first passenger who bought a ticket for it. The train ticket on the Russian Railways letterhead, as well as in the electronic one, indicates the type of compartment.
A situation may arise when there are seats on the train, but you cannot buy a ticket, because there are only empty seats in the compartment for the opposite sex. Alas, it is useless to cheat here, the conductor has the right not to let those who try to get on the train.
Going on the road, you expect that the time on the road will be pleasant and comfortable, and, without a doubt, the company plays a big role here. If suddenly a snoring subject on the top shelf of a compartment, an overly talkative lady or people drinking becomes a fellow traveler, all that remains is to count the minutes before arriving at the destination. Many believe that if you are already spending time on the road with strangers, then it is better in the company of fellow travelers of the same sex: they say that it is much easier to find a common language with them. But are we always given the right to choose? Correspondent "R" conducted an experiment: when ordering a ticket for different modes of transport, she asked for a seat next to a fellow traveler.
Employees of the Belarusian Railways say that they are more often approached by women with a request to be accommodated in a single-sex compartment
Boys to the left, girls to the right
The practice of separating seats in transport for men and women is used in different countries. So, in Japan, for example, there are entire trains and subway cars just for women. The innovation was due to the numerous complaints of Japanese women about harassment in public transport. For the same reason, buses appeared in Mexico City, in which men were not allowed to enter. And the right to choose a male, female or mixed compartment in trains will not surprise anyone at all. In Russia, same-sex coupes were introduced back in 2007. An interesting fact: it was expected that women would use this RZD service more often, but statistics showed that 59% of all passengers bought a ticket in a men's compartment and only 30% in a women's one.
Employees of the Belarusian Railways say that they are more often approached by women with a request to be placed in a single-sex compartment. They want to avoid flirting or harassment, they are embarrassed to change clothes in the presence of a man, they are afraid that the owner of socks that have not been washed for a long time or, God forbid, a company with a guitar drinking alcohol will become a fellow traveler. Stereotypes are stereotypes, but a frequent passenger of the Belarusian Railways, Alla Kosenkova, who is always interested in the opportunity to choose a single-sex coupe, explains her desire to ride in a women's team like this:
Trips in a mixed coupe, with rare exceptions, I remember as a nightmare. Once I hung up my outerwear, and in the morning it was all filled with fruit and berries ... It turned out that my neighbor from the top shelf decided to drink wine at night. And another fellow traveler did not lag behind with the offer to get acquainted! I'm not saying that the road goes perfectly with women, different fellow travelers come across: both snoring and talkative. But with them, at least I do not feel embarrassed and anxious.
Same-sex coupes
Well, let's see in what areas the BZD is ready to offer separate compartments for women and men. I called the information desk: I'm interested in the route Minsk - St. Petersburg. On the way - more than 13 hours, I want to spend this time in the company of women. The dispatcher was not at all surprised at my request:
Sure, no problem. What day would you like to book a ticket for?
But the trains following the territory of our country do not offer such services. Although the travel time, for example, from Brest to Vitebsk is 16 hours 45 minutes.
Sale of tickets with the formation of women's and men's compartments is carried out on branded trains following in international traffic: No. 2/1 Minsk - Moscow, No. 39/40 Polotsk - Moscow, No. 52/51 Minsk - St. Petersburg, No. 55/56 Gomel - Moscow, as well as on train No. 87/88 Minsk - Riga, - Alexander Drozhzha, First Deputy Head of the Passenger Service of the Belarusian Railway, dedicates the details. - The principle of sale is as follows: if a female passenger purchases a ticket for a free compartment, it is automatically marked as female. The remaining three places are offered only to women. The men's coupe is formed according to a similar scheme. The choice of a single-sex compartment is not reflected in the ticket price. Such a service is really in demand, especially by women who, for various reasons, do not want to be in a compartment with men, and next year we will continue this practice. But we do not plan to extend it to absolutely all trains, in the formation scheme of which compartment cars are provided. Still, when selling tickets, taking into account the gender of the passenger, there is a high probability that, for example, somewhere in the women's compartments the seats will remain empty, and we will not be able to seat men there.
Everything for the convenience of the passenger
The bus journey can also take a lot of time. As it turned out, requests from passengers to sit next to a fellow traveler of the same gender are not uncommon here either. I'm wondering if I can take a trip in a women's company on the bus Polotsk - St. Petersburg. The cashier at the bus station clearly did not expect such a question:
We do not have such a service. But there are often empty seats on the bus going in that direction. So, if there is any problem, you can transfer wherever you want.
The European network of international bus passenger transport "Ecolines" also does not seat women separately from men. When ordering tickets, according to the dispatcher, only empty seats are displayed, and the gender of passengers is not specified:
If for some reason you feel uncomfortable, you can change places with one of the passengers.
What about air transport? To my request to spend a few hours of flight to Surgut, sitting next to a representative of the weaker sex, the Belavia dispatcher replies:
At the airport, during check-in, you can ask for a seat next to a fellow traveler - I think the airport staff will meet you halfway. In addition, on board the aircraft, people themselves often change places for various reasons. But it already depends on the passengers whether they will make concessions.
So, women / men, for various reasons, who do not want to travel in the company of representatives of the opposite sex, can order a same-sex compartment on trains to Riga, St. Petersburg, Moscow. In other modes of transport, seats are not divided into women's and men's, but in case of any problems they are ready to find an option convenient for the passenger. I myself never made such requests, and there were no conflicts with fellow travelers either on trains or on planes. In general, I am for passengers to have the right to choose - the main thing is that gender division does not discriminate against either men or women.
01.03.2007 |10:47Men's, women's and mixed compartments appeared in three more branded trains - "Ural", "Demidov Express", "Tyumen" (Sverdlovsk Railway).
Men's, women's and mixed compartments appeared in three more branded trains of the Sverdlovsk Passenger Directorate: Sverdlovsk - Moscow, Tyumen - Tyumen - Moscow and Sverdlovsk - St. Petersburg.
In Ural, two economy-class compartment cars were allocated for this project, and in Tyumen and Demidov Express, one each.
Tickets for these carriages are sold taking into account the gender of the passenger, but if desired, a ticket for a mixed compartment can also be sold to him. You can buy a ticket for a male, female or mixed compartment right now, the ticket price will remain the same as in other carriages of the same class.
Branded trains "Ural", "Tyumen" and "Demidovsky Express" will start running from April 6 this year.
The first train of the Sverdlovsk Regional Passenger Directorate, in which such a service appeared, was the proprietary train "Kama" on the Perm-Moscow route. He went on his first flight with separate compartments in early February.
You can purchase travel documents with the new service at all ticket offices, including those of organizations that are not part of the Russian Railways structure. In tickets, the sign of a compartment is indicated in the column after the key T, where the letter M denotes a male compartment, Zh - a female compartment and C - a mixed compartment.
Issuing a ticket under the new system in a male, female or mixed compartment will not require any additional material and time costs on the part of the passenger. All expenses associated with granting passengers the right to choose a compartment are covered by Russian Railways.
The Sverdlovsk Regional Directorate for Long-Range Passenger Services expects that this service will help improve the level of service and passenger comfort. The positive results of the project will facilitate the expansion of this service to other long-distance train routes, the public relations service said.
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